Garnacho ‘will bench Gittens at Chelsea after bargain Man United exit’
Alejandro Garnacho may not be the most popular option to join Chelsea but he will soon have fans eating their words if he moves to Stamford Bridge.
Left-wing was a troublesome position for the Blues last season. Pedro Neto was used there, but the Portuguese winger is much more comfortable on the right.
Jadon Sancho was well-liked by Enzo Maresca for his application in training, but failed to translate his performances at Cobham’s training ground onto the hallowed turf of Stamford Bridge, or any other ground around the Premier League for that matter.
Noni Madueke ultimately ended up filling in there near the back-end of last season, but once again, was uninspiring at best and the England international has since joined Arsenal.
As a consequence, Maresca and his recruitment team set their sights on finding a replacement capable of providing goals from the left-flank, which led to Gittens joining Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund.
However, the Italian boss may have jumped the gun by signing the Englishman, as a better option is available for the same price.
Alejandro Garnacho a bargain at £50m
Garnacho, like many young superstars, can be difficult to deal with. The Argentine winger is a leading member of Man United’s “bomb squad” of outcasts that the club are desperate to shift on.
Ruben Amorim and the 21-year-old fell out after the winger was dropped from the starting XI for the Europa League final.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, without Garnacho, United lacked any sort of attacking threat during that game until the final 20 minutes, when the former Atletico Madrid youth teamer was introduced.
His off-field antics undermine the winger’s on-pitch performances. The Argentina international had 21 goal contributions last season, including 10 assists, for a Red Devils side that was offensively impotent for much of the year.
The only teams that United managed to outscore in the Premier League were Everton and the three relegated sides, and Rasmus Hojlund was particularly wasteful despite the constant service provided by the 21-year-old.
The Guardian report that the winger will be available for around £50million, a similar fee to the one paid to Dortmund to secure Gittens’ services, and the 21-year-old’s numbers show that the Red Devils’ asking price will be a bargain.
Despite his teammates doing their best to make the least of the chances he created, Garnacho had more goal contributions last season than Chelsea target Xavi Simons, Nico Williams, and the man whose job he may be set to take.
Jamie Gittens set to be benched again after Dortmund fallout
Gittens himself contributed 12 goals and five assists last season as Dortmund scraped into qualification for the Champions League.
However, from January onwards, the Englishman scored just three goals and assisted none.
Gittens found himself on the outskirts of Dortmund’s side and was dropped for key clashes against Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
His expulsion from Niko Kovac’s starting XI coincided with the German side going on a miraculous run to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition.
Whilst a talented winger in his own right, Gittens unfortunately cannot hold a candle to the talents of Garnacho.
If the Argentine international were to join, the Englishman would likely be Maresca’s first-choice to begin with, having trained with the Blues for much of the summer.
But Gittens would merely be a placeholder before Garnacho settles in West London, and much like last season with Dortmund, he will find himself benched by Christmas.