Xabi Alonso rules out Garnacho future at Chelsea after turbulent debut season

Alejandro Garnacho is heading for the exit at Chelsea less than a year after joining from Manchester United, with incoming manager Xabi Alonso having already decided the 22-year-old has no future at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are willing to listen to offers of around £43m for the Argentine winger.

Garnacho arrived at the club in the final days of last summer’s transfer window in a £40m deal that looked like a bargain at the time. The move was meant to represent a fresh start after his relationship with Manchester United turned toxic, but his spell in west London has unravelled almost as quickly.

The season was destabilised early when the manager who signed him, Enzo Maresca, departed mid-season amid reported interest from Manchester City, the club he now manages. Maresca’s replacement, Liam Rosenior, lasted just 106 days before he too was sacked, leaving Chelsea’s campaign in disarray.

Garnacho had initially impressed on the training ground under Maresca, who said in September that the winger was “working well” despite arriving short of full fitness. Garnacho himself spoke of a “winning mentality” and a “natural fit” with the club. That optimism did not survive the winter.

The low point came in April when Manchester United visited Stamford Bridge. Garnacho came off the bench early to replace the injured Estevao but made so little impact that he was reportedly berated by several team-mates at half-time. United won 1-0 through a Matheus Cunha goal, compounding a miserable afternoon for the winger.

The humiliation extended beyond the final whistle. Former United team-mate Luke Shaw posted a photo of himself making a robust challenge on Garnacho, a post that was liked or commented on by Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Cunha, Joshua Zirkzee, Ayden Heaven, Lisandro Martinez, Patrick Dorgu, and Mason Mount.

Alonso, who takes charge of Chelsea ahead of next season, has reportedly made clear that Garnacho will not be guaranteed regular starts under his management. With the club open to selling at around £43m, another move now appears inevitable for a player whose career has rarely been short of turbulence.