Chelsea have made another move in this summer’s transfer window. Not happy with just Jamie Gittens, Estevao, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, and Jorrel Hato, they have continued adding to their growing rotation as they return to the Champions League. They have now reportedly managed to complete the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United as Fabrizio Romano has given it the “here we go” treatment.
Garnacho joins a pretty stacked front line at Stamford Bridge. Currently, he’ll be competing with Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, and the aforementioned newcomers for game time. He adds another natural winger to the lineup after the departure of Noni Madueke and could be a safety blanket if Gittens takes time to adapt to the league.
Described as “electric“, the Argentine attacker has pretty obvious strengths as his ball carrying and ability to get space in the box are both admirable. Statistically, he provides something similar to Madeuke with the hope that a better system will take him up to a higher level.
One key thing that Garnacho has is heaps of top-level experience. He made over 140 appearances for the Red Devils, contributing 26 goals and 22 assists in that time. He has also been capped 8 times by the Argentina national team. He’s played in the Champions League and Europa League, something which gives him a leg up on some of the competition.
He ranks as one of the best wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries as well as shots. A lack of shooting was one big criticism of Jadon Sancho last season and the other Blues wingers; that’s something the Argentine could fix. His ability to carry the ball makes him a good profile for Enzo Maresca’s system, especially if he’s tasked with staying wide to spread the defence.
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