Chelsea’s final permanent signing of the summer did not inspire all corners of the fanbase, but former star Florent Malouda believes their new addition could end up being a real star.
The Blues finally completed the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United in the final 48 hours of the transfer window, after a summer of links to the club.
Garnacho was spotted in attendance at Chelsea’s win over Fulham, and has now been put through his paces during his first few training sessions with his new club.
While not every Chelsea fan is convinced over the signing, it is certainly a positive that Garnacho turned down all interest from other clubs to make it clear he only wanted to join the Blues.
Florent Malouda predicts Alejandro Garnacho can follow Cole Palmer trajectory at Chelsea
The Argentine is in contention to feature against Brentford in the first game back after the international break, with it remaining to be seen if Cole Palmer will be fit in time for the West London derby.
After being signed for a similar fee, the England international is now one of the club’s most important players, and Malouda has predicted that Garnacho could follow the same trajectory, providing he comes with the right mindset.
He said to Simon Phillips’ Substack: “Alejandro Garnacho has talent and could follow the Cole Palmer trajectory, he even has a similar price tag. It’s about delivering, unlike Jadon Sancho who wasn’t able to show his talent and make a difference. What you expect from a player like Garnacho is how he’s able to be consistent in performance and have an impact.
“For me, it also comes with personal ambition. It’s a done deal, but it shouldn’t be seen as an escape from Manchester United. His ambition should be to become a world-class player at a top football club like Chelsea.
“That’s the kind of mindset we expect from him, and of course, being an impact on the offensive part of Chelsea’s game.”
United legend makes promising Garnacho prediction
While many United fans were happy to see the back of the winger, not everyone believes he is going to be a failure when he gets going at Stamford Bridge.
Paul Scholes believes Garnacho will succeed at Chelsea, stating that he doesn’t believe his attitude should be something the Blues should be worried over.
He will be up against the likes of Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto for a place on the left of attack, however with the fixtures coming thick and fast now it won’t be long either way before he gets a chance to stake his claim.
Just days after the game against Brentford, Chelsea kick off their Champions League campaign with a tie against Bayern Munich.
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