After breaking into the first-team picture at Manchester United, it did not take the footballing world long to take notice of Alejandro Garnacho. The Argentine was viewed as the next big thing at Old Trafford. Many even believed that he would go on to become one of the best on the planet. A few years on and the picture looks very different for the winger, now at Chelsea.
Garnacho’s career has been on a downward trajectory for the past few years. He left Manchester United in the summer for around £40 million. Chelsea would have been hoping that he would meet his potential at Stamford Bridge.
But now, less than a year later, there are question marks over his future at Chelsea as well. His game time has decreased under Liam Rosenior.
Under Rosenior, Garnacho has made just eight starts, with three of them coming against lower league teams in the FA Cup. Overall, he has scored four goals and provided two assists since the Englishman replaced Enzo Maresca. And recently, rumours have cropped up about a move away from Chelsea in the summer. Is that just speculation or could it really happen?
Chelsea’s stance on Garnacho exit in the summer
According to Samuel Luckhurst in The Sun, Chelsea are open to parting with Garnacho in the summer. Rosenior is believed to have reservations about the Argentine winger.
Ironically, the news has come out leading up to Chelsea’s game against Manchester United this weekend. We all know how Garnacho’s spell at Old Trafford ended. The Argentine eventually pushed through a transfer to Stamford Bridge. But now, it looks like he could be on the move again sooner than expected.
Of course, there are question marks over Rosenior’s own future at Chelsea. But if he does survive in the job beyond this season, he is expected to have a say on transfers in the summer.
Garnacho has certainly done better than Jamie Gittens, who has been pretty much a non-entity since joining Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund. But the Argentine finds himself behind Pedro Neto in the pecking order, even though the Portuguese winger’s preferred position is on the right.
Was this always the plan for Chelsea with Garnacho?
There are some who believe that this might have always been the plan with Garnacho. To sign him when his time at Man Utd was clearly up and then move him on in the future for a bigger fee.
If Chelsea do part ways with Garnacho in the summer, and are able to bring in more than £40 million, then their vision would have to be praised. But if they end up making a loss, then it would go down as another BlueCo move that did not pay off.
Of course, Garnacho might end up staying at Chelsea as well. Do not forget, he is still just 21 years old. It might be a bit too early to give up on him. That being said, the Argentine needs to improve a lot, if he wants to be a starter for the Blues.
