It was only last year that Alejandro Garnacho made the move to Chelsea. Having been pushed to the side by Manchester United, the Argentine made the decision to swap Old Trafford for Stamford Bridge, joining the London club for a transfer fee reported to be worth $54m at the time.
12 months on, Chelsea is reportedly open to selling Garnacho after a disappointing first season at the club. Once considered one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League, the 22-year-old is now scrambling to save his career at the top level of the English game.
In 24 Premier League appearances last season, Garnacho registered just one goal and four assists. By the end of the campaign, he was firmly on the outside of the first team looking in and the early indications are that new manager Xabi Alonso will favour other wide options over the former United player.
Alonso is expected to use something close to the 3-4-2-1 system that worked so well for him during his time as Bayer Leverkusen manager. This leaves little scope for a winger of Garnacho’s type with Chelsea already moving for suitable wing backs in the summer transfer window.
Estevao and Pedro Neto both outshone Garnacho as wide options for Chelsea last season with Jamie Gittens another winger who the Blues appear to be counting on to develop in his second campaign at Stamford Bridge. On the basis of the latest reporting, Chelsea has given up on Garnacho.
In hindsight, Garnacho surely regrets leaving Manchester United when he did. The 22-year-old developed over the course of his time at Old Trafford, but was sold when he reportedly clashed with manager Ruben Amorim and some of his own teammates. Despite this, Chelsea saw his potential.
“He’s got huge ability and potential. For any young player, the biggest thing to be challenged on is consistency,” said former Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior when asked about Garnacho’s quality and the impact he could make for the Blues. “But he’s shown really good signs – not just in training, but in meetings – that he’s on a really good track.”
Chelsea’s player trading model doesn’t afford young players much time to prove they belong at the club. Garnacho appears set to fall victim to this. He is at a critical juncture of his young career. At 22, he still has time to fulfil his potential, but his struggles at Stamford Bridge might put off any suitors. Garnacho might not be good enough.