ALEJANDRO GARNACHO signing for Chelsea is a match made in heaven, and a bargain for the Blues at just £40m.
Not too long ago, the Argentine was a Puskás Award winner, a winger being touted to compete for the Ballon d’Or in years to come, and the future of Manchester United.
So, how have we got to a point where he’s now deemed not good enough for a Man Utd side that lost to fourth-tier Grimsby, and even Chelsea fans are complaining about signing this elite-level talent?
The main concern about Alejandro Garnacho, 21, joining Chelsea is the attitude and ego of the player, and worries over how involved his brother, Roberto, gets in club matters – particularly on social media.
A cryptic post from Man Utd’s former No 17 drove fans nuts as he posed on Instagram in an Aston Villa shirt while looking to force a move away from Old Trafford.
That was after his brother complained online about a lack of game time under Ruben Amorim, slamming the manager as ‘throwing his brother under the bus’ in the Europa League final loss to Spurs.
These antics, and wanting a move to Chelsea, saw things escalate to a point where a mural of the once-loved United youngster was defaced ahead of their season curtain-raiser against Arsenal.
That is the biggest worry for Blues’ fans, that he will be competing for a starting spot with Jamie Gittens, and if he doesn’t justify that, he will create a toxic culture at Chelsea.
But Chelsea have got a plan for that, and it comes in the form of an ex-Rugby League star, Willie Isa.
The mentality of players at Chelsea has changed significantly since Willie Isa was brought as a ‘cultural architect’ at Stamford Bridge.
Long gone are the days of petulance, arguing over penalties, and dressing room leaks – Chelsea now is a haven of young talent, each determined to fight for their space in a competitive team that has succeeded on the world stage.
So if Alejandro Garnacho wants to succeed in his career, he will have to subscribe to that mindset and get on board. Isa will make sure of that.
Willie Isa will also drill into Garnacho that he comes to Stamford Bridge with a point to prove; he now needs to show the world that he is not how he’s perceived by Manchester United fans, and show Ruben Amorim what he was missing.
A sign of that mentality from the winger is shown by the fact he insisted he ONLY wanted to go to Chelsea in this window, reportedly turning down an approach from Italian champions Napoli, who he will now face in the Champions League.
The price is one of the key upside’s to this Garnacho deal, with Chelsea viewing the winger as a ‘market opportunity’.
£40m in modern-day football doesn’t buy you much – Mason Mount went to United for significantly more than that, Jacob Ramsey and Tyler Dibling a similar price, or you could spend it on half of a Nick Woltemade.
The 21-year-old, you could argue, is a level above those in terms of talent and potential.
Since the 28th April 2022 when Alejandro Garnacho made his debut, there are only two players under the age of 21 in Europe‘s top five leagues with more goals and assists than him: Rayan Cherki and Lamine Yamal, both of whom are regarded as some of the best talents in the world.
And Garnacho has done that in an entirely dysfunctional Manchester United team, making 93 Premier League appearances in that time and contributing to 26 goals.
With so much going for him, if Willie Isa can help straighten out his mentality, Alejandro Garnacho could even be the bargain of the window at Chelsea.
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