Aston Villa are reportedly in advanced talks with Chelsea over the initial loan signing of winger Alejandro Garnacho.
It’s been a busy summer for Villa already with the departure of Youri Tielemans, while both Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne are expected to follow imminently to join Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.
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However, Unai Emery has also brought in reinforcements to strengthen his squad as we’ve confirmed the arrivals of Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes, and it appears as though the Villa boss has firmly set his sights on our third acquisition of the transfer window.
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According to The Athletic, Villa are in advanced talks to sign Garnacho on an initial loan with a conditional obligation to buy clause, and it’s emphasised that Emery himself is driving this move and has convinced the Argentine forward over a switch to join us.
The 22-year-old joined Chelsea from Manchester United last summer and went on to contribute eight goals and four assists in 43 appearances across all competitions.
While few doubt the talent and potential is there, question marks have largely centred on Garnacho’s consistency and his character off the pitch, as speculation has suggested that he could perhaps be a disruptive presence in a dressing room.
However, if Emery is indeed pushing for this move and wants to bolster his attacking options with Garnacho, then his judgement should be trusted and we can only hope that he’s able to get the best out of him, should a loan deal now materialise.
The expectation is that Manzambi will replace Rogers, but Villa have seemingly been searching for upgrades in the wide areas, with further exits possibly ahead still with both Evann Guessand and Leon Bailey paired with departures.
In turn, Garnacho ticks an important box in addressing an area of our squad that needed improving, and if he does now complete an initial loan move to Villa, it’s hoped that Emery’s judgement is proven to be excellent again and Garnacho repays the faith and trust shown in him.