Chelsea set for Alejandro Garnacho decision as £92m double transfer scrutinised

Chelsea spent big on bringing Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens to the club last summer but for differing reasons, neither player has won over the supporters yet

Chelsea spent a combined £92million on bringing two left-sided wingers to the club last summer. Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens arrived to bolster Enzo Maresca's options ahead of the 2025/26 season as the Blues looked to compete on all fronts.

The signing of Garnacho, where Chelsea paid Manchester United a fixed fee of £40m for his signature, raised more than a few eyebrows. There were serious question marks over the 21-year-old's attitude and discipline but the Blues did their due diligence before pushing forward with the deal.

Background checks were made on Garnacho, football.london understands, and he was deemed the right profile for Maresca's squad. Maresca, Garnacho's head coach up until January, repeatedly spoke about the winger's need to improve his out-of-possession work - and towards the end of his debut season at Stamford Bridge, it has certainly improved.

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It is not quite the level of, say, Pedro Neto, just yet, and that is seemingly why the Portuguese winger is trusted more in the bigger games. But Garnacho works a lot better off the ball nowadays. The thing that frustrates Chelsea supporters most with the former Man United wide man is his wastefulness in front of goal. Garnacho has had ample opportunities to add to his eight goals this season but has lacked the killer instinct. That is something that can be worked on, for sure, but it has slowed his progression this season.

With Garnacho, there is a player there - it is clear to see. Whether or not he is able to unleash his full potential at Chelsea is unclear at this moment in time, especially when the club are looking at wide options ahead of the summer transfer window.

Even with the exciting Geovany Quenda arriving at the end of the season, the Blues are still set to be in the market for another left-sided option. That spells bad news for Gittens, too, whose debut season at Stamford Bridge has been massively disrupted by a hamstring injury he suffered at the end of January.

The 21-year-old, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a total package of £52m, was due to return from his hamstring problem a few weeks ago but he suffered another setback. As for a timeframe, Liam Rosenior is yet to give one, but there has so far been no sign of Gittens in the training pictures released by the club this week.

Gittens has bags of potential. He can be an exciting player to watch; being one of the few direct footballers Chelsea have in their arsenal. However, his lack of end product was a concern prior to his injury and there are already doubts over his future.

Chelsea chiefs have been discussing the upcoming transfer window in recent weeks, with Rosenior detailing positive conversations on where the squad can be improved in the off-season. Logic would suggest if another left winger arrived, then one of Garnacho or Gittens would have to depart. Not only does it balance the books financially, but it also avoids a player being unhappy with a lack of minutes due to too many options in one position.

Garnacho and Gittens could argue they need more time to prove themselves at Stamford Bridge, particularly the latter, but under BlueCo's ownership, Chelsea have quickly become a ruthless turnover machine.