Alejandro Garnacho will force Chelsea into transfer decision as £40m signing creates pressure

Alejandro Garnacho has divided Chelsea supporters since moving to Stamford Bridge last summer and the winger could already be playing for his future in west London

Many Chelsea supporters will be keen to forget the opening 45 minutes of their team's win over West Ham United as soon as humanly possible. For Alejandro Garnacho, though, it might be 45 minutes that stays in his mind for a long time.

Liam Rosenior hooked the 21-year-old winger at half-time in last month's victory over the Irons after a pretty disastrous performance at Stamford Bridge. To Garnacho's credit, he kept trying. He was getting no joy up against Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but the Argentine refused to give up and kept going at the Hammers full-back.

It was no surprise to see the No.49 on the fourth official's board at the start of the second half, especially with Chelsea trailing by two (they ended up winning 3-2). Unfortunately for Garnacho, despite his nine direct goal contributions this season, he is yet to win over the Chelsea fan base.

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More importantly, his five appearances from the start under Rosenior suggest he has not won over the Chelsea head coach either. Rosenior will be boosted by the arrival of at least one winger in the upcoming summer transfer window, with the Blues set to scour the market for more attacking options.

Geovany Quenda will be a Chelsea player next season. The Blues agreed a £40million deal with Sporting CP almost 12 months ago to sign Quenda, who is expected to be part of the first-team picture at Stamford Bridge next season, football.london understands.

The talented Portuguese winger will add more competition for Garnacho, who already has a host of players to contend with in SW6. There could be a temptation from Chelsea's point of view to pull the plug on Garnacho if he does not improve as the club looks to protect the Argentine's value.

The Blues signed Garnacho from Manchester United for £40million last summer, with Chelsea's sporting directors managing to agree a relatively modest fee. If the west Londoners decide to flip Garnacho at the end of the season, it is likely they at least make the money back for the winger. There could even be profit to be made.

It is unclear whether Chelsea will look to offload Garnacho but if he cannot show clear improvement between now and the end of the season, he may fall down the pecking order. There is no doubt, though, Garnacho will be given chances before the season concludes, as Rosenior said earlier this month. Reflecting on Garnacho's first-half display against West Ham, Rosenior explained: "Garna, like all the players here, had a difficult half against West Ham. I thought he showed some really bright moments coming on against Arsenal [in the Carabao Cup], and he's going to be massive for us. We have a lot of games to come, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to show his quality."

It's now up to Garnacho to grab the opportunities he is given with both hands. He has done that at times this season, but following up an impressive performance has been difficult. To be an attacker at Chelsea in the long term, finding consistency is non-negotiable.

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