The new Sancho? Garnacho on his last life after Chelsea exit

Updated: 22 Jul 2026 10:02 BST | 5 min read

Suraj Radia | Editor

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Alejandro Garnacho was once touted as one of the biggest wonderkids in world football but the Chelsea star has found himself unwanted by his club for the second year running and already in danger of seeing his bright career fizzle out into nothing.

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Garnacho was considered the future of Manchester United after his breakout at Old Trafford only for the youngster to reach a bitter end that culminated in a €46 million move to Chelsea last summer.

Current ETV

Alejandro Garnacho

F, M (L)

Chelsea

Alejandro Garnacho

F, M (L)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€44.6M - €54.5M

Question marks had emerged over Garnacho’s attitude and professionalism during his final season at United which led to a fall-out with then-manager Ruben Amorim, but Chelsea took a gamble on the 22-year-old’s talent in the hopes that he could benefit from a fresh start.

But, 11 months later, Garnacho has again found himself out of the first team and searching for a new club, leading to Aston Villa entering advanced talks over a loan move that will likely become permanent next year.

A third club in two years represents a dramatic downfall for a player who, not long ago, had been considered priceless by United and Garnacho looks to be heading for a similar trajectory to fallen wonderkids such as Jadon Sancho, who is a free agent generating little demand aged 26.

Particularly with Garnacho’s move to Villa seemingly being financially driven rather than a genuine belief in his suitability, the forward will need to display a major resurgence under Unai Emery in order to avoid becoming another Sancho in a long list of footballing ‘what ifs’.

Alejandro Garnacho: Aston Villa take plunge on winger after Chelsea failure

It is easy to forget but Garnacho boasted an impressive record for a player of his age during his time with United, netting 21 goals in all competitions across his two full seasons as a starter.

Although Chelsea’s move for Garnacho was seen as a risk last summer, it was one the club felt would pay off, either with the youngster maturing into a top player or being sold on with little financial risk.

© IMAGO - Alejandro Garnacho did not have a good season at Chelsea.

Garnacho made just 14 Premier League starts last season, scoring once, and similar noises followed the winger about his conduct, with the player admitting in April that he had done some ‘bad things’ during his time with United.

While Chelsea had not told Garnacho he needed to leave this summer, new manager Xabi Alonso had allowed the youngster to miss the start of pre-season training in order to find a new club, with a departure seen as the best outcome for all parties.

Keeping players for a brief stint is not uncommon at Chelsea due to the club’s revolving door policy and Garnacho’s transfer is still expected to be a positive financial deal for the Blues.

STATS

Alejandro Garnacho

F, M (L)

Chelsea

Alejandro Garnacho

F, M (L)

Chelsea

43

Games
8

Goals
4

Assists

The terms of the move to Villa remain unclear, with both clubs still in talks, particularly after Chelsea’s record signing of Morgan Rogers, which may affect the financials despite an insistence that both deals are separate to each other.

Villa are, again, tightly pressed to their financial limits this summer and a loan for Garnacho represents a way to bolster their squad while retaining flexibility in the market, even if there are doubts over the player and his decline in recent years.

Will Garnacho become a Rashford or a Sancho at Aston Villa?

Garnacho will be given a chance to shine at Villa, while Emery is said to be a fan of the forward and has not been shy at giving players a chance to rehabilitate their careers under his coaching.

The likes of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and, most recently, Sancho, have all had loan spells at Villa under Emery and most have proven to be beneficial for the players.

It is only Sancho who failed to take his chance at Villa after his loan spell there last season and the English winger is now a free agent after United opted against taking up their option to extend the contract of a player they paid €85m for in 2021.

Like Garnacho, Sancho was considered one of Europe’s brightest wonderkids at United but he too struggled to shake off concerns over his professionalism and has become a forgotten figure now, with no top club seemingly keen to take a chance on his talent.

Garnacho is four years younger than Sancho and still has a chance to fulfil his potential but there are no excuses for him to fail at Villa and his future will be in his hands ahead of a potential last opportunity to become a success in the Premier League.