Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Jamie Gittens and Morgan Rogers are set to be Chelsea’s two left-wing options this season.
Had Alejandro Garnacho remained at the club, he also would have been an option for Xabi Alonso. However, the 22-year-old has joined Aston Villa on loan after just one campaign in west London.
According to Si Phillips Talks Chelsea, Alonso effectively had the choice of keeping either Gittens or Garnacho at Stamford Bridge.
In the end, the Spaniard went with Gittens, supposedly being a fan of the former Borussia Dortmund star’s energy.
Sander Berge on Chelsea team
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Gittens perhaps deserves another year at Chelsea after a season of injury. He barely played last term, making just 16 appearances in the Premier League.
Garnacho got more opportunities than Gittens but did not really take them. The Argentina international finished the league campaign with just one goal to his name.
With Chelsea spending £117m on Rogers, you would not expect Gittens to start too many games this season. However, if the England Under-21 star remains fit, he will play more matches than he did after his arrival at the Bridge.
Jamie Gittens of Chelsea FC reacts
Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Chelsea could have one of the deadliest attacks in the Premier League this season
It is going to be hard for Gittens and Chelsea’s other second-string attackers to break into Alonso’s starting XI. It is still very early. We need to see how Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro all work together, but on paper, that is an incredible attack.
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Paul Merson recently discussed Rogers, Palmer and Pedro and shared his worry about that very attack functioning well together. But going into Monday’s game against Fulham, Chelsea fans are feeling very confident.
That confidence largely stems from the appointment of Alonso, who has brought some much-needed positivity to the fan base. But all of that is going to go out of the window if Chelsea do not win on Monday. That is what Alonso is going to be judged on, not what he says in press conferences or his trophy cabinet as a player.