Ex-Chelsea forward Florent Malouda believes Alejandro Garnacho can prove the doubters wrong and be a success at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking exclusively to Simon Phillips on his Substack, Malouda likened the winger’s arrival to Cole Palmer’s a couple of years ago:
“Alejandro Garnacho has talent and could follow the Cole Palmer trajectory, he even has a similar price tag.”
“It’s about delivering, unlike Jadon Sancho who wasn’t able to show his talent and make a difference.”
The similarities (and differences) between Garnacho and Palmer
As Malouda points out, the two players cost a similar amount of money (around £40m). They both arrived as late summer additions, and they were roughly the same age when they signed for the Blues.
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Garnacho also has a lot of potential that Chelsea could unlock with sufficient patience, but there are significant differences between him and his new teammate.
While Man City reluctantly sold Palmer, with the winger keen on leaving to get first-team football, Garnacho was forced out of Manchester United, with question marks about his mentality and overall attitude.
When will Garnacho make his Chelsea debut?
The Argentinian international was not called up by his country for their World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador, so he hasn’t had to travel long distances to get back to England.
However, Garnacho is nowhere near match fit. He trained away from Man United’s first team in pre-season, and he has not played any games (either friendlies or competitive ones) since the Europa League final against Tottenham back in May.
It means it is unlikely that he will start for Chelsea in upcoming league fixtures. He could get some minutes as a substitute, and he may be included in the matchday squad for the trip to Brentford this weekend.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here