Erik ten Hag openly admits the tough truth about Garnacho, showing clearly why Unai Emery hasn’t given him a chance at Aston Villa.
Erik ten Hag recently shared that he tried to sign Alejandro Garnacho when he was at Bayer Leverkusen, but also pointed out some challenges the player faces.
The young Argentinian has had a tough time securing a regular spot in the lineup over the past two years, moving from Manchester United to Chelsea, and then to Aston Villa. Garnacho showed flashes of brilliance at Old Trafford, exciting fans with moments like an overhead kick against Everton and a stunning long-range goal against Leicester, but he also had his off days. Ten Hag, who coached him before, said, “I regret where he is now.”
After Ten Hag took over at Bayer Leverkusen for the 2025/2026 season, Garnacho was having a hard time under the new Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim and was on his way out of the club. Ten Hag revealed in an interview with The Athletic that he reached out to Garnacho to try and bring him over to Leverkusen.
Ten Hag said, “I told him, ‘Come to Leverkusen.’ But luckily he didn’t, because he wanted to stay in England. I understand, the Premier League is the best league.” He added that Garnacho is a special player who runs tirelessly and has fantastic attacking skills, but sometimes struggles with focus, especially when defending. “He needs a coach who trusts him and gives him support because he thrives on that,” said Ten Hag.
Garnacho chose to join Chelsea for the 2024/2025 season, but didn’t have much success there either. He played 24 times, scoring just once, and was then loaned to Aston Villa, where he’s only played a few minutes so far this season.
With limited playing time, Chelsea might recall Garnacho and look to sell him either in January or the summer. Clubs in Turkey, Italy, or even the Saudi Pro League could be interested, especially with reports that a big-money move to the Middle East could tempt him.
In the end, Garnacho might be lucky he didn’t join Ten Hag at Leverkusen. Although the Dutch coach arrived there in May 2025, he was let go just two months later after clashing with players and staff.