Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
Alejandro Garnacho completed a loan move to Aston Villa with an easily met conditional obligation included, which should see Chelsea receive £43m for the Argentine. On Saturday, he made his debut.
Garnacho failed to prove to Chelsea fans why the club spent £40m on him 12 months ago. Form, attitude, body language and overall quality all came under the microscope, having scored just one league goal.
Player ratings vs Tottenham
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Little surprise then that this summer, Garnacho has left Chelsea. An initial loan has been agreed with Aston Villa, but the Midlands club are expected to meet the obligation included, come next summer.
For now, Garnacho is on loan at Aston Villa and Chelsea supporters are desperate for the Argentine to impress. If that happens, the £43m clause will be activated, and Chelsea can wave goodbye to Garnacho.
What Aston Villa fans thought of Garnacho’s debut on Saturday
Garnacho was not involved in Villa’s first two friendlies against Real Sociedad and Porto, but he started in Villa’s clash against the Indonesian Liga 1 all-stars XI on Saturday. Villa secured a 3-1 win in Jakarta.
Indonesia All Stars v Aston Villa - Pre-Season Friendly Match
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The on-loan Chelsea winger started the match and, by all means, caught the eye. He would have scored had Emi Buendia passed the ball instead of shooting by himself, but Villa fans were impressed with him.
Garnacho kept the ball well and passed forwards, which was often a criticism of the former Man United star. One fan said, “The league is not ready for prime Garnacho”, while another said he “really impressed”.
Another continued the hype, saying, “I do think Garnacho will come good and Emery will get the best out of him.” The praise continued to come in for Garnacho, another posting: “Definitely had a good game.”
Could Garnacho prove Chelsea wrong in a Villa shirt?
Towards the end of his Chelsea spell, the Argentine’s confidence seemed to have evaporated. Certainly, he was no longer the player who was capable of scoring an overhead kick from 18 yards against Everton.
Alejandro Garnacho graphic
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What he needs is the confidence and trust of a manager who is going to start him week in, week out. The benefit of a move to Villa is that the Midlands club are in Europe, and that gives Garnacho game time.
He has the platform, he has a fresh start, and if Emery can give him the confidence he needs to be the player he can be, then the loan will be a success. But Chelsea are right to offload him as they have done.