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Enzo Maresca has revealed the conversations he had with Chelsea’s recruitment team before deciding to move for Alejandro Garnacho this summer.
The 21-year-old was at the club’s training centre in Cobham on Friday completing his medical ahead of a move from Manchester United. Chelsea agreed a fee with United, understood to include a £40million fixed fee, on Thursday with personal terms already agreed with the Argentine winger.
Garnacho will not be available for Chelsea’s match with Fulham on Saturday afternoon, with the signing not being registered in time, but Maresca will be able to call upon him after the upcoming international break. After signing Jamie Gittens earlier in the summer, the two will go head-to-head for the left wing spot in Maresca’s line-up, with academy graduate Tyrique George expected to leave before Monday’s 7pm deadline.
“They are quite similar,” Maresca said on Garnacho and Gittens. “In terms of, when we are looking for a winger, we like wingers who are good in one-v-ones, they are quite vertical, aggressive, they can attack, they can create something. Jamie is that profile. If Garnacho arrives, we will see.”
Ruben Amorim told Garnacho earlier this year that he can leave United this summer with the winger said to be unhappy with his role in the squad. Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system does not use natural wingers, meaning whenever Garnacho did play, it was in a more central position.
Maresca sees Garnacho and his situation right now as similar to what we saw with Jadon Sancho last summer. Sancho signed for Chelsea on a season-long loan late into the 2024 summer transfer window and spent the remainder of the campaign at Stamford Bridge.
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Similarly to Garnacho, Sancho was essentially frozen out at Old Trafford. While Sancho did not set the world alight during his loan with the Blues, he contributed to a remarkable season under Maresca, where qualification for the Champions League was secured alongside two major trophies being lifted.
"Could be [a chance to perform in a more settled environment], but I don’t know. Could be, for sure. I think we did the same with Jadon, for instance. We had Jadon with us and he had a very good season. Again, if we finish top four and we achieve what we achieved, it’s also because of Jadon. Now with Garnacho, in case he arrives, we will see.
“I try to do the same with the ones that are here. And if some players arrive here, it’s because I agree and I’m happy to work with them. So the same thing can happen with this player or with another player.”
Garnacho was someone who has been on Chelsea’s radar for a while now, with the Blues considering making a move for the Argentine back in the January transfer window. Nothing ever came of the interest back then, but Chelsea have now pounced.
Maresca works closely with the club’s recruitment team, that includes the likes of Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, Joe Shields and so on, to identify players that will help the head coach at Stamford Bridge. Garnacho is one of them - with Maresca giving us a little bit of insight into how the conversations went.
“I just said that Garnacho, I think he is a good winger, good in one-v-ones, and he can create things. This is the way I see it.”
Garnacho will have to watch on as Chelsea entertain Fulham on Saturday afternoon. Three points for the Blues will be enough to see them move to the top of the Premier League, with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool all in action later in the weekend.
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