What Chelsea really thought of Alejandro Garnacho behind the scenes as the moment that decided his future comes to light
Chelsea and Alejandro Garnacho had already agreed to his move to Aston Villa well before it was officially done, according to reports. Garnacho joined Villa on loan on Thursday afternoon, with a deal that could make the move permanent depending on certain conditions, though the details aren’t clear yet.
If the transfer does go through, Chelsea is expected to get back most or all of the £43 million they value the 22-year-old at. For Garnacho, Villa will be his third club in under a year, after moving to Chelsea from Manchester United last August.
Despite changing clubs, Garnacho will get to play Champions League football this season. Chelsea missed out on Europe because of a bad run at the end of last season under interim coach Calum McFarlane. Now with new boss Xabi Alonso in charge, it was decided fairly early on that Garnacho’s future was best served elsewhere.
The Daily Mail reports that Garnacho himself wanted to leave Chelsea after a tough first season. While he showed some great moments, like in Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Villa in February, he also struggled with inconsistency, similar to his time at Manchester United.
People close to Chelsea said they liked Garnacho behind the scenes and saw him as shy and misunderstood. Former manager Liam Rosenior also believed Garnacho was a player who needed support and spoke positively about him despite his challenges.
At Aston Villa, Garnacho will now play under Unai Emery. Emery has a reputation for helping players bounce back after tough times, and it’s said he was convinced to sign Garnacho after watching that strong Chelsea win over Villa in February.
Garnacho will look up to his old Manchester United teammate Marcus Rashford, who had a good spell on loan at Villa after falling out of favor at Old Trafford. Rashford’s good form with Emery even earned him a call-up to the England squad and a loan move to Barcelona last season. He’s now back at United and could be brought back into the team by their new coach Michael Carrick.
In his first interview as an Aston Villa player, Garnacho said he wants to regain the confidence and form he had in his early days at United. He told Villa’s official website, “I was looking for a club where I could build my confidence and be the player I was a few years ago. The manager [Emery] gave me that confidence to be here and help the team.”