Gary Neville is right: Alejandro Garnacho looks 'shot to pieces' at Chelsea & already risks summer reckoning

There was always some risk attached to Chelsea's surprise pursuit of Garnacho last summer, as they looked to pick up a bargain in the form of a player who was patently available for purchase as a member of United's 'bomb squad' after a very public and very ugly falling-out with now ex-head coach Ruben Amorim at the end of 2024-25.

It was undoubtedly something of a red flag that the Portuguese had seen fit to oust the winger from his first-team plans at that point, in part due to his attitude and performances in training, reportedly telling the winger he'd better "pray" he could find a new club after the Argentine had petulantly labelled United's season "sh*tty" after their defeat in the Europa League final, having been irked by starting the showdown with Tottenham as a substitute.

It transpired that that new club would be Chelsea, who had been linked with the wide man since January 2025. The Blues waited until the final days of the summer window to make their move, using delaying tactics to drive his price tag, which was once £70m ($94.4m), down to £40m - seemingly good value for a 21-year-old with a high ceiling who was already Premier League-proven.

So far for Chelsea and Garnacho, however, the move is a gamble that hasn't paid off. 

A fairly slow start could be forgiven after a turbulent summer and a transfer late in the window, after the Premier League season had already begun. However, we are yet to see a player once hailed as a wonderkid at anything close to his best level.

While his return of nine goal involvements isn't bad on paper, that majority of those came across games against Qarabag, Cardiff City and Wolves, with his most telling contribution to date a second-half brace in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg defeat to Arsenal that was ultimately in vain. Garnacho's sole Premier League goal to date came in the loss to Sunderland, way back in October. 

Stats aren't everything, of course, but what's more concerning is that he rarely carries the kind of threat that made him stand out as a real prospect during his time at Old Trafford. In fact, he is having the opposite effect, with attacks dying out when the ball reaches his feet.

Given Garnacho wasn't exactly the most popular signing with the supporters anyway, as a former Man Utd player with a reputation for petulance and perceived arrogance, the volume of moans and groans from the stands after he takes the simple option is only increasing. 

The Argentine hit a new low at the weekend with an abysmal individual display in the last-gasp victory over West Ham. Nuno Espirito Santo's side exploited Garnacho's lack of confidence, with more than 50 percent of their attacks coming down his flank as former team-mate Aaron Wan-Bissaka dominated him.

The 21-year-old was physically overpowered by the right-back in the build-up to the Hammers' opener, and their second originated down his flank too as the struggling visitors raced into a two-goal lead before the break. The new signing gave the ball away a staggering 12 times in 45 times - and that was in spite of the fact that he nearly always took the easy option rather than attempting to beat his man.

Neville was swift to note Garnacho's lack of self-belief on Sky Sports co-commentary duty: "He's not confident. He keeps passing it and doing that. When you see him at his best, he goes directly at the full-back, but that's not what we’re seeing in this first 20 minutes. His first touch is back all the time, and that’s a dream for a right-back. I'm in absolute dreamland, I'm going to be all over him like a rash."

Later in the first half, the Man Utd legend added: "I'm very surprised Liam Rosenior hasn't acted. I know it's harsh to substitute a player in the first half, but they have been absolutely torn apart down this side."

Chelsea managed to haul themselves back into the contest and snatched a historic victory in stoppage time courtesy of Enzo Fernandez's finish, with their entire beleaguered left flank of Garnacho, Jorrel Hato and Benoit Badiashile withdrawn at half-time and their replacements - Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro - all having a huge impact off the bench.

Despite the comeback, Neville was still shellshocked by Garnacho's dire display at full-time. Speaking on his self-titled podcast, he said: "In the first half, I have to say that West Ham were absolutely fantastic. They dominated the game, even though they didn't dominate possession. They had the best chances, they were more physical, and that left side of Chelsea was obliterated.

"Alejandro Garnacho is a player that divides opinion, I think, at times. A lot of people are questioning, is he top class or where is he? Where is he in the pecking order? What was difficult to watch was a young player like that, who's gone to Chelsea and he looked shot to pieces in terms of his confidence on that left-hand side.

"I'm not just talking about when Wan-Bissaka kept going off him running forward, but actually when he got the ball, his first touch was back and then he just kept going back and giving it away. It was an awkward, very horrible experience for both Hato and Garnacho on that left side, and Badiashile. But once he [Rosenior] changed it, the complete and utter transformation of the game occurred."

Neville's question over Garnacho's standing at the club now feels particularly pertinent; despite his contributions in the first instalment, injuries to fellow wingers Pedro Neto and Jamie Gittens and the fact that Estevao Willian had only just returned from compassionate leave in Brazil, the Argentina international was left on the bench until the 75th minute of the Carabao Cup semi-final return leg at Arsenal, as centre-midfielder Fernandez and striker Liam Delap were rather damningly preferred as makeshift wingers.

In his quarter of an hour (plus stoppage time) on the pitch, Garnacho was marginally improved - completing 90 percent of his passes and making two recoveries - but he was once again largely ineffective as his side fell to a 4-2 aggregate defeat as a result of Kai Havertz's late winner on the night.

It has since been confirmed that Gittens has suffered a serious hamstring injury, while Neto will be a doubt for Saturday's clash with Wolves and is rooting around for form himself. You'd think Garnacho would therefore have an opportunity to stake a claim, but former Chelsea player Craig Burley has his doubts. 

"I don't think it's a disaster having him there, but to me he's the type of player who comes on at 75-80 minutes when everybody is knackered and there's a bit of space for him to use his pace," he told ESPN FC. "But as a starter for Chelsea? No, no."

But maybe that is destined to be Garnacho's role in this Chelsea squad? An impact sub who is used to exploit space in the final third of a match. 

In mid-January, he had more goals as a substitute in all competitions than any other Premier League player (five), per Opta, and even the winger himself has recognised that he can be something of a cheat code in that phase of the game.

"Every game is different - every team's set-up depends on the results and a lot of other things," he said in the Blues' matchday programme for the West Ham clash. "Sometimes, as a winger, you start a game and in the first 60 minutes you touch the ball four times, with no space. And then, after 60 minutes, everything is open and the guy who comes from the bench scores two.

"Football has changed a lot with the years but I think today it depends a lot on the wingers. When you receive the ball and you have time, you have to make the right decision."

Garnacho's head coach Rosenior also defended him and the other players he hooked after the last-gasp turnaround against the Hammers. "It's easy right - the individuals came off and then people will look at them. That wasn't on them. It was a collective poor performance in the first half."

In his press conference ahead of the trip to Wolves on Saturday, he added: "I don't know where the criticism comes from. 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, 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."

However, there is an unerring sense that - at a club where time is a rare luxury - Garnacho must find a way to rediscover his confidence and the kind of threat that made him such an exciting talent at Man Utd if he is to have any sort of longevity at Stamford Bridge. He might have the backing of the head coach for now, but with transfers mainly being handled by their fickle sporting directors, his days may well be numbered already.

Of course, he is still just 21 years old and you could argue that Rosenior and predecessor Enzo Maresca's slow, possession-based approaches don't play to his strengths, while he could also benefit from the out-of-sorts Cole Palmer rekindling his creative spark. Nevertheless, the BlueCo model dictates that the powers that be will not hesitate to cut their losses and cash in if things don't improve.

With Gittens injured and Neto out of form, the clash with basement boys Wolves represents the perfect opportunity for Garnacho to get his Chelsea career on track. If he doesn't make an impression in the coming months, then he faces yet another summer reckoning.