Chelsea loan star Alejandro Garnacho is in the midst of another difficult spell, with the Blues unable to effect his temporary spell at Aston Villa.
Alejandro Garnacho has come under even harsher criticism after a difficult start at Aston Villa since his loan move from Chelsea. Manchester United sold him for £40m in the summer of 2025, but he was sent to Villa Park earlier this year.
The 22-year-old football player played more than 2,000 minutes in 43 games in all competitions last season, scoring 8 goals and 4 assists. Despite a decent return, Garnacho was deemed surplus to requirements with a £43m buyout commitment under specific conditions included in the details of the loan move.
However, Garnacho seems difficult to activate as it requires a certain number of appearances to activate. There is also no break clause meaning he could return to West London at the end of the season.
That would leave Chelsea in a tough spot as they expect to shell out £43m for the Argentine next summer. His career at Villa Park could still be developing, but he continues to face criticism for his latest goal-scoring move with former player Dean Saunders.
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He said via Svea Casino: “Honestly, I’m not a fan of Alejandro Garnarcho and his attitude. Look what happened with him and Manchester United.
“Looking at his talent and skill, when I was playing football and when we had talented players come to train with us or sign with us, I wasn’t just impressed with the talent. I wasn’t impressed with people who could do tricks and juggle the ball and hit threes.
“I was more impressed with people who were difficult to play against, like Jamie Lawrence, who I played with at Bradford. Nobody liked playing against Jamie. He was running through a brick wall, tackling, chasing and defending.”
“Some players don’t have anywhere near the talent of Garnacho, but I’m more impressed with someone who comes on every week, performs 7 out of 10, works hard in defense and provides quality in the back three.
“We can all do tricks and skills but that consistent work rate is what you get paid for. I’m surprised Villa signed him to be honest.”
There is plenty of time for Garnacho to prove himself at Villa, though, and that may have given him a boost when he got on the scoresheet in last week’s friendly away to Southampton.
The arrival of Jamie Gittens alongside Garnacho has seen his minutes affected by Pedro Neto, also given playing time on the left. First, Xabi Alonso is the latest player to suffer injury concerns after being seen on crutches following a game with England Under-21s.
Joao Pedro has been ruled out of the Brazil squad with a knee injury, which saw him miss the defeat to Brentford before the long international break.
Cole Palmer has also stepped down from his England role and Rice James has also lost his role. Marco Palestra and Moises Caicedo have barely featured this season due to injury.