Alejandro Garnacho, the £465,000 buy who looked poised to be the next star boy for Manchester United, but only four years later, his career with the red devils is set to be over. Carrying a hefty transfer valuation of £40 million, his desire to play in the Premier League, while competing in Europe means only a few teams have the 21 year old on their radar, the London sphere looks the most likely.
Whether it is the North, East, South, or West, a trip down to the capital is getting nearer and nearer for Garnacho, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, and Enzo Maresca's World Champion Chelsea are the two main leaders in the race. Both teams make sense for a move for the Argentinian, with both in need of a left winger. Arsenal have been open about their thoughts of Gabriel Martinelli, and have confirmed that the door is still open for his departure this summer, Chelsea on the other hand are still looking to bolster the left wing spot, and bring in a dynamic game changer who can compete with Pedro Neto.
The sum of £40 million isn't massive for either of these clubs, but rumours believe Chelsea’s initial approach was said to be £30 million, a deal rejected by United. Arsenal have yet to be active in the race, and are still weighing up their chances of securing a deal this summer, but the two will definitely be battling for him in the next month. It would be easy for Garnacho to head abroad, but his choice to stay in England narrowed down the race to these two clubs, but his fit is extremely different in both.
If he ends up playing in the red of Arsenal, it is sure that he could become the starting left winger, and finally be given a chance at playing his fluid, natural winger style of play, something Ruben Amorim refused in his new system. The battle between him and Gabriel Martinelli wouldn't be too difficult with Martinelli out of favour, and Garnacho at only 21 still has potential to fulfil, and has shown over his time with United that he can perform on the biggest stages, in the Premier League and in Europe. Having said that, if he ends up with Maresca in Chelsea, the battle will be much more difficult, and his place as a starting winger wouldn't be too set in stone. Pedro Neto is a player who still has the talent, and is probably still the number one option, but with how Chelsea operate these days, he would be a consistently rotated player with Neto, and would be given the chance to play and show what he can do.
A move away from Manchester to join any one of these teams would be an upgrade, but it is where which will determine the course of his career for the next few years. Arsenal would use him much more freely, and give him the chance to start and be their guy out wide in the title charge and in Europe, whereas Chelsea would love to have him as a solid rotational piece, a player who can perform off the bench, and can be a key plaster in every tournament, rotating consistently with others. A £40 million deal may seem steep, but for a player who has shown what he can do already at 21, his potential has miles to come, and he could be the next big move for one of these London clubs.
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