Alejandro Garnacho was a wanted man last year, but now he's lucky just to make the Aston Villa matchday squad.
Alejandro Garnacho of Aston Villa during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between Aston Villa FC and Fenerbahce SK at Villa Park on October 14, 2026 in Birmingham, England
Chelsea almost missed out on the signing of Alejandro Garnacho last year.(Image: Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
View Image
Erik ten Hag has claimed that Bayer Leverkusen tried to beat Chelsea to the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United. The Blues signed the 22-year-old winger at the end of last year's summer transfer window, in a desperate effort to bolster Enzo Maresca's frontline.
Chelsea forked out £40m for his signature and tied him down to a seven-year contract, fending off interest from the Bundesliga outfit. In a recent interview with The Athletic, Ten Hag revealed that he had pleaded with Garnacho to follow him to Leverkusen, having previously worked together at Old Trafford.
"I regret where he is now," said the former Red Devils boss. "I told him, ‘Come to Leverkusen’. But luckily, he didn’t. He wanted to stay in England. I understand, the best league, so he denied."
Although Garnacho arrived from Manchester United with a reputation as something of a troublemaker, his attitude and work rate were exemplary. Despite his best efforts, though, scoring just eight goals and providing four assists in 43 appearances, he fell short of expectations on the pitch.
Make sure you never miss the latest Chelsea news and opinion by making Football London one of your Google preferred sources.
When asked about the Argentina international as a person, Ten Hag said: "He’s a character, you have to manage him, but I had a strong connection with him. But it’s also up to him, of course, but he needs a coach, a particular coach, who will give him trust, who will give him love.
"He needs the love, definitely. But he’s an amazing player. What’s so special about him is he can run all day, high volume at really high speed, all game, back and forward. Sometimes his head is not on defending.
"So mentally, his mindset, you have to make sure he is focused and disciplined and does the job every transition, but he’s capable of doing it, and attacking-wise, he can go forward and do incredible things, making dribbles, finishing.
"He can do the final pass, but sometimes he’s a little bit selfish," said the Dutchman, who now works as a technical director for Twente in the Eredivisie. Ten Hag then laughed and added: "But yeah, you balance this."
football.london understands that Garnacho will sign a four-year contract with Aston Villa at the end of the season, subject to obligation‑to‑buy clause conditions, worth £42.5m, in his season-long loan agreement.
The Argentine, deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, was personally requested by Unai Emery after selling Morgan Rogers to Chelsea. The requirements for making the deal permanent remain unclear, but it's said that they're easily achievable.
That said, however, Garnacho has struggled to cement a place in the matchday squad, let alone the starting lineup. He's featured just three times for the Villans in the Premier League, appearing off the bench in each of the first three games of the season.
He was given 11 minutes off the bench in the UEFA Champions League last week, when Aston Villa hosted Fenerbahce, but otherwise hasn't played since the goalless draw to Hull City at the MKM Stadium at the start of September.
Article continues below
In fact, Garnacho didn't even travel with Emery's side to face Newcastle United at St. James' Park at the weekend. The trajectory of his career could've gone so differently had he followed Ten Hag to Leverkusen last year...