Xabi Alonso’s arrival has lifted the mood of the Chelsea supporters. But that doesn’t mean that the club’s problems have magically been solved. Far from it. The Blues have left themselves a lot of work to do after how things have been handled over the past four seasons under BlueCo ownership. More than a billion pounds have been spent on a squad that can’t even qualify for the Champions League on a consistent basis, forget about competing for it.
A lot of that has been down to the club’s poor recruitment. They have brought in a number of players who have made little to no impact. In fact, somehow, despite so much investment, the squad has gradually regressed to where they are not even competitive with the big teams.
So, the club will need to do two things this summer at once. They will need to bring in quality, proven players to raise the bar immediately. And they will also need to part with players who are not making any positive impact on the team.
One name that might fall under that category is Alejandro Garnacho. Signed from Manchester United for around £40 million, the Argentine had made a decent enough start but has completely faded into the background over the course of the season. According to Chelsea.news, Matt Law said on the London is Blue Podcast:
“Garnacho just looks lost at Chelsea.
“He looks really lost already. Yeah, so the future currently looks a bit bleak for Garnacho and Gittens.”
Does Garnacho have a future at Chelsea?
To be very honest, it is hard to imagine that Garnacho is someone who will develop into a key player for Chelsea under Alonso. On the contrary, it is much more likely that he is one of the players who will head for the exit door this summer.
Chelsea are not working with a ton of budget at the moment. They have posted record losses. On top of that, the club also have to work under certain financial boundaries. That is a result of being fined by UEFA last summer.
In order to bring in new players, they might have to move a few first in order to raise funds. And someone like Garnacho might very well be amongst those they are willing to let go.
Who could sign Garnacho this summer?
This is where things get a lot more interesting. A couple of years back, half of Europe might have tried to sign Garnacho. But things change very quickly in football. They most definitely have for the Argentine.
He has struggled to perform for quite a while now. And he does not have the strongest reputation, either rightfully or not, when it comes to being a team player. Just look at the manner of his Manchester United exit and how that entire thing unfolded.
So, there might not be a ton of interest in signing Garnacho this summer. An idea that has often been floated is that Chelsea signed him with the intention of moving him on for a transfer profit in the future. But at this moment, it is hard to imagine that any other club would be willing to pay even close to the £40 million they shelled out last summer. Unless he ends up moving to the Saudi Pro League. Do not be surprised if a loan with an option to buy is the best that can be managed.