JEREMY CROSS COLUMN Alejandro Garnacho is the embodiment of young footballers these days: his ego is writing cheques his talent cannot cash
13:00, 20 Apr 2026
Alejandro Garnacho
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Alejandro Garnacho's move to Chelsea has been one to forget (Image: Getty Images)
Chelsea have become the punchbag of the Premier League. And the reasons to give them a kicking are stacking up at a rapid rate. Where do we begin? The club escaped serious sanctions for making illicit payments to agents and intermediaries.
The owners (BlueCo) decided to sack Enzo Maresca at the start of 2026, but did so in a manner unbecoming of any club, let alone one with the supposed standing of Chelsea.
BlueCo replaced Maresca with Liam Rosenior. A forward thinking coach, perhaps, but someone who is now getting chewed up and spat out by a place which resembles a footballing madhouse. Rosenior has done himself few favours.
Alejandro Garnacho.
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Alejandro Garnacho was on the losing side against his former employers(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
Allowing his team to hold a pre-match huddle in the centre circle around a referee was crass and embarrassing in equal measure. Not least because Chelsea went on to lose (again) to Newcastle United.
Rosenior also found himself in the position of having to drop his captain, Enzo Fernandez, for two games. He took exception to some comments the Argentine made in the media. While the club's Supporters' Trust (CST) has penned an open letter to BlueCo, declaring a "lack of confidence" in them.
Chelsea have now lost six of their last seven games in all competitions. In short, Chelsea have gone from world champions to a complete laughing stock in the space of eight damaging months, both on and off the pitch.
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But one example of Chelsea's shambolic dysfunction stands out above all the rest. And it's the club's decision to spend the thick end of £50m on Alejandro Garnacho.
Whoever was responsible for thinking this was a good idea should be sacked on the spot. Which brings us to co-owner Behdad Eghbali.
In a rare public address a few weeks ago, Eghbali discussed Chelsea's approach to the transfer market. Lacking substance and common sense, he said: "The view is to keep, sign and retain and compensate and extend some of the world's best players.
"And ultimately the view was you need, eight, 10, 12, 15 elite players to win and win sustainably, year after year." So how many do you need, mate? Eight or 15?
And if Eghbali seriously thinks Garnacho is "world class", he's deluded. The only thing world class about Garnacho is his ego. One which is writing cheques his lack of talent cannot cash. It's difficult to find another footballer who has a greater sense of arrogance and entitlement than Garnacho. The embodiment of the modern day footballer.
A player who can post more social media posts in one fell swoop, than the amount of goals he has scored all season. What the heck were Chelsea thinking? Did no-one at Stamford Bridge take note of how Garnacho's time at Manchester United came to an end?
There was a reason United decided to sell him. They'd had enough of his poisonous attitude. It's understood Sir Jim Ratcliffe couldn't stop smiling, when news of Chelsea's offer reached him.
You can hear Ratcliffe now. "£40m plus extras, you say? Done. I'll drive him down to London myself". Roy Keane is right. Garnacho hasn't learned a single thing from his time at Old Trafford.
While Chelsea haven't learned a single thing from past mistakes in the transfer market. Which makes them a perfect fit, really.
Erling Haaland
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Erling Haaland spared Gabriel from getting a red card at the Etihad (Image: Sky Sports)
Gabriel should be thanking rival Erling Haaland. His actions stopped him from getting sent off.
Well done to Erling Haaland. Not just for scoring the winning goal to help Manchester City beat Arsenal, and increase the chances of Mikel Arteta's season imploding.
But for refusing to throw himself to the floor after being on the receiving end of an attempted head butt from Gabriel.
There is no love lost between these two. Their running battles in recent seasons have become the stuff of legend.
So Haaland could have been forgiven for making a meal of the incident with Gabriel, to get him sent off.Which would have resulted in a costly ban for the Arsenal defender.
But Haaland remained on his feet. He acted like a grown up. He got on with the game. He puts this down to some advice his dad, Alfie Haaland, once gave him.
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And it was refreshing to see a footballer act with some common sense. He will get zero gratitude from Gabriel, of course. But let's not get carried away, eh?