We 'signed' Alejandro Garnacho for Chelsea and transfer question was answered
With Manchester United needing to sell to buy this January, Chelsea have been linked with a move for Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho.
A new left winger has appeared to be a target for Chelsea this month, with a host of names, including Jamie Gittens and Mathys Tel being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. But, with United now open to selling players to help Ruben Amorim build a squad better suited to his system, Chelsea could be looking to take Garnacho off their hands.
Just 20 years old, Garnacho has already made more than 100 appearances for United, scoring eight goals and grabbing five assists in all competitions so far this season. To add fuel to the fire, Garnacho's agents Carlos Cambeiro and Quique De Lucas were both in attendance for Chelsea's 3-1 win over Wolves on the weekend.
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So, if Chelsea were to sign Garnacho this month, how could he perform? Let's take a look.
Rest of Chelsea's 2024/25 season simulated with Alejandro Garnacho
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Garnacho to Chelsea in the January transfer window before simulating the rest of the 2024/25 season. This is how the Blues performed with the Argentine in their squad.
On his arrival, Garnacho was instantly thrown into the starting XI, making three consecutive starts for the Blues. But, the Argentine was very disappointing, and he quickly dropped to the bench in place of Jadon Sancho on the left. Garnacho's arrival actually saw Sancho go up a gear for the Blues, with the United loanee playing his best following the January transfer window.
Garnacho managed to make 23 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions, but just four of them were starts. He managed to score just two goals and grab two assists in that time, with the 20-year-old failing to impress in his first few months at the club.
At the end of the 2024/25 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Chelsea XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Chelsea best XI: (4-3-3): Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Enzo, Caicedo; Palmer, Jackson, Sancho.
Maresca switched to a 4-3-3 set-up in the second half of the season, giving him more control in midfield, with Romeo Lavia, Enzo Fernandez and Mosies Caicedo making up the midfield three. Cole Palmer was deployed on the right once again, with Sancho joining the Englishman and Nicolas Jackson in the front three.
Despite injury problems, Reece James and Wesley Fofana also made the best XI, with the duo the highest-rated defenders at the club during the simulation. Garnacho didn't feature heavily in the Premier League for Chelsea, but he did play a big part in the Blues finishing in the top four.
On the final day of the season, Garnacho scored the winning goal off the bench against Nottingham Forest, meaning the Blues leapfrogged the Reds to finish above them by two points. Chelsea dropped points just four times in the league following Garnacho's arrival, but it wasn't enough to reignite their Premier League title hopes, with Liverpool finishing 13 points clear at the top of the table.
Chelsea managed to win a trophy in the simulation, with the Blues beating Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes 4-0 in the Conference League final as they eased their way to the trophy. The same couldn't be said in the FA Cup though, with Maresca's side losing 1-0 to Newcastle United in the quarter-finals.
