Xabi Alonso will be a key figure in Chelsea ‘s summer transfer business in the coming months with the incoming manager given more power than his predecessors at Stamford Bridge. The transfer window has been open less than two weeks and already the Blues have been busy. Marc Cucurella signed for Real Madrid earlier this month , with Chelsea receiving almost a £47.4million fixed fee (with a potential £4.3m in add-ons) for the Spain international’s services. In turn, the Blues decided to go out and spend (in excess of) £43m on Atalanta defender Marco Palestra , with the versatile 21-year-old defender in London to finalise his move. Official confirmation awaits but by all intents and purposes, Palestra will be playing his football under Alonso next summer. FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! Latest Blues news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page He could soon he joined through the door by Maxence Lacroix . football.london understands Chelsea are working on a deal to bring the Crystal Palace defender to Stamford Bridge after identifying the Frenchman as their top defensive target this summer. There are expected to be multiple more incomings on top of those two as well. Chelsea, though, will be looking at offloading a multitude of players before the summer transfer window concludes – and one man who could leave is Alejandro Garnacho . The former Manchester United winger has struggled since moving from Old Trafford less than 12 months ago and has been widely criticised for his performance level. With that said, Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes are in agreement over what Chelsea’s next move should be in relation to Garnacho. I’m not too sure there will be many Chelsea supporters who will argue with me when I say I think the Blues need to move Garnacho on this summer. While the 21-year-old has shown glimpses of what he can offer Chelsea, those moments have been few and far between. His off-the-ball work needs serious improvement and that is something Alonso surely will not accept. Given Chelsea spent £40m, a relatively modest fee in today’s market, on the Argentine wide man, they could generate most of that back this summer. If they wait and he has another poor season, his value will continue to plummet. Chelsea felt Garnacho was worth the risk given the price last summer but so far it has not paid off. It makes sense for the Blues to cut ties with the ex-United man in the coming months as a new era gets underway at Stamford Bridge. Let the past be the past. Chelsea need to sell Garnacho. Since joining the Blues from Manchester United, the winger has been unfairly scrutinised, unable to shake the bizarre ‘troublemaker’ tag, but that shouldn’t excuse him from criticism for his performances on the pitch. Garnacho showed glimpses of promise, often popping up in the right areas as well as nicking the odd goal here and there, but he failed to consistently showcase the quality required to be a winger for a club that wants to qualify for and compete in the Champions League. Had he arrived at Stamford Bridge as the understudy to a world-class, or at least close to world-class, forward, who could shoulder the workload on the left and play a key role in winning silverware, rather than an equal competitor to Jamie Gittens, it wouldn’t be an issue if he stayed. Garnacho is a live-wire who can sometimes make an impact off the bench. The Argentine, however, is not a starter that can be relied upon week in, week out. The problem is that Garnacho has been given a taste of regular first-team action at Chelsea, which he may now expect under Alonso despite not having earned his keep. In a season where the Blues will probably only play once, maybe twice on the rare occasion, a week, it’s just not realistic to keep him. Generally speaking, Chelsea need to sign a top left-winger this summer. It’s long overdue.
Source: football.london
