Aston Villa are set to sign the ex-Manchester United winger to replace Morgan Rogers, who has just completed his move to Chelsea.
Aston Villa’s search for a replacement for Morgan Rogers has begun, and one target has reportedly agreed to join despite his initial reluctance. Rogers’ move to Stamford Bridge has opened up the opportunity for Villa to sign one of Chelsea’s wingers, who is likely to lose his regular place in the team.
According to a report in TalkSport, Villa are on the verge of completing a deal to sign the former Manchester United wide man, although not on a permanent basis yet. The player has reportedly agreed personal terms with the Lions.
“Alejandro Garnacho is expected to join Aston Villa on loan from Chelsea.”
Villa and Chelsea are both expected to agree on a loan deal for the Argentine winger, with an obligation to buy next summer. The move could help him rediscover the form he showed during his early days at Old Trafford.
The 22-year-old joined Chelsea last summer for £40 million. He signed a contract with the Blues until 2032. Unfortunately, his spell there can only be described as a failure.
At first, Villa were not the only club in the race to secure his signature this summer. AS Roma made the initial approach. They also planned to sign him on loan, but the Serie A side could not complete the move despite Garnacho’s interest in moving to the Italian capital. Both sides failed to reach an agreement on the details.
Garnacho’s valuation is around £42.5 million. Chelsea would prefer to sell him permanently to Aston Villa, but they appear willing to sanction a loan deal initially. That may be due to Unai Emery’s side also trying to sign another Chelsea player, Nicolas Jackson. The Senegalese forward was loaned out to Bayern Munich last season.
The former Manchester United man fits the profile Unai Emery is looking for in a winger. He offers pace and excels at dribbling and driving into the penalty area by cutting inside as an inverted winger or by delivering crosses. Garnacho is also versatile enough to play on either flank.
Unfortunately, his inconsistency and ineffective decision-making could cost him regular minutes on the pitch. The Argentine is expected to improve both those aspects of his game, as well as his finishing. A clinical edge will be essential at the highest level, especially with Villa competing in the Champions League. Perhaps he could learn from his senior countryman, Emiliano Buendia, who thrived last season unexpectedly.
His spell at Stamford Bridge was nothing short of disappointing. He started only 14 games despite making 43 appearances in all competitions. His modest return of eight goals and four assists shows that the winger still needs to develop his game to perform at a higher level.
The wide man, who has eight international caps, also lacks defensive contribution. Based on data from FotMob, he made only 70 defensive contributions last season, including six clearances, 15 tackles, and four interceptions.
His successful dribble rate was also quite low at just 35.9%, while his duel success rate stood at 44.7%. His cross accuracy was only 13.6%, although his pass completion rate was solid at 87.3%, and his long-ball accuracy reached 100%.
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