Alejandro Garnacho (£6.4m) finalised his transfer from Manchester United to Chelsea last week.
In line with Chelsea’s transfer policy of only bringing in youth, the young Argentine became the 10th signing for the Blues this summer. As almost exclusively a left-winger, Garnacho will add depth in an area Enzo Maresca was looking to strengthen.
In this Moving Target piece, we assess the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) appeal of Garnacho following his move to west London.
THE MOVE IN QUOTES
“It’s an incredible moment for my family and I to join this great club. I can’t wait to get started. I watched the Club World Cup and to join the world champions is special – we’re the best team in the world! It’s amazing to be here and I’m very happy.” – Alejandro Garnacho
“When we are looking for a winger, we are looking for someone who is good one-v-one and who can attack and create something. Jamie Gittens is that profile, and we will see with Garnacho. He is a good winger in one-versus-one and he can create things. This is the way I see things.” – Enzo Maresca
GARNACHO: A BRIEF HISTORY
| Season | Starts (sub apps) | Mins | Goals | Assists | Bonus | FPL points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 23 (13) | 2,188 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 106 |
| 2023/24 | 30 (6) | 2,564 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 131 |
| 2022/23 | 5 (14) | 557 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 39 |
| 2021/22 | 0 (2) | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Born in Madrid in 2004 to a Spanish father and Argentinian mother, Garnacho was part of the Atletico Madrid youth setup from 2015 until Manchester United picked him up in 2020 for £420,000.
Garnacho joined the Academy and signed his first professional contract with them in 2021. He was notably prolific during this time, contributing 23 goals and 10 assists at various youth levels and winning the FA Youth Cup in the 2021/2022 season, scoring twice in the final.
He made his senior team debut in 2022, and scored his first goal shortly after in the Europa League, assisted by his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 2022/23 season would be his breakout as he had 12 goal contributions in all competitions and turned up in some big moments throughout the campaign, despite an injury setback.
In his second full season at United, Garnacho became a regular under Erik ten Hag. He won the FIFA Puskás Award and Premier League Goal of the Season for his 15-yard bicycle kick against Everton, and scored the opener in the FA Cup final against Manchester City – becoming the first teenager since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004 to score in the final and helping United lift the trophy.
The 2024/25 season proved challenging for the 21-year-old, with United struggling and his minutes reduced under new boss Ruben Amorim. Despite this, he still registered 11 goals and 10 assists across all competitions.
The Argentine made his international debut in 2023 and was part of the Argentina squad that won the Copa America in 2024. He has made eight caps for his national team so far and has played alongside Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez (£6.6m).
His move to Chelsea has reportedly been in the works since January.
PLAYING STYLE
Garnacho is an energetic winger with immense speed and dribbling abilities, and his direct approach can unsettle defenders. He can also contribute with creativity and chance creation and is dangerous when in the opposition’s box.
This graphic from transfermarkt.com shows what positions he has played in his career so far, and his stats.
Operating primarily as a left-winger, Garnacho has had plenty of Premier League experience in his career so far – making 144 senior appearances for United at only 21.
His output is respectable given United’s struggles in recent years – 27 career goals (one every 5.3 games) and double figures in each of the last two seasons. He scored six times in the league last year, even as United finished 15th.
From an FPL perspective, he returned 131 points in 2023/24 and 106 in 2024/25, the latter figure limited by reduced minutes towards the end of the campaign.
A tireless presser, Garnacho won possession in the final third more than any other United player last season. Yet his end product remains inconsistent: 84 shots produced just a 7.1% conversion rate (fourth worst among high-volume shooters), and he netted only two of 16 big chances – the second-worst record in the league last season.
Chelsea boss Maresca will hope these inefficiencies fade as he develops, with competition from Jamie Gittens (£6.3m) on the left wing potentially pushing Garnacho to reach a new level.
WHERE DOES GARNACHO FIT IN AT CHELSEA?
The signing of Garnacho seemed important to Maresca, as the Italian highlighted the need for a new left-winger during a press conference in August.
The Blues have now signed two new left-wingers, and after Tyrique George’s (£4.9m) transfer to Fulham fell through at the last minute, it looks as if there will be plenty of competition for minutes in the forward positions for Chelsea.
A fan of 4-3-3, Maresca insists on his goalkeeper stepping up beside defenders to join their deep passing sequences. Simultaneously, one full-back inverts to create a double midfield pivot.
Maresca has already stamped his style of play on this young Chelsea side, built around structured possession, inverted full-backs and aggressive pressing high up the pitch. His system prioritises width, fluid rotations in midfield and sharp transitional play.
Garnacho is a natural fit for Chelsea’s system. Playing primarily on the left, his pace and dribbling allow him to stretch defences and exploit space, especially with inverted full-backs – Malo Gusto (£5.0m), Marc Cucurella (£6.1m) and Reece James (£5.5m) – giving him room to operate wide.
His pressing intensity is equally valuable – he led United in high turnovers last season, aligning perfectly with Maresca’s front-foot approach.
IS GARNACHO WORTH BUYING IN FPL?
The Argentine has already had his price reduced as a result of not featuring in any of United’s matchday squads so far this season. At £6.4m though he could be a hidden gem.
Depending on your optimism for how he gets on at Chelsea, Garnacho offers a new attacking threat to Chelsea and if he hits the ground running he could become a regular player on that left-wing. Depth may be something Chelsea already have but a reliable out-and-out winger on the left isn’t, as we’ve seen with Pedro Neto (£7.0m) being deployed on that side despite not being his favoured position.
If Garnacho can improve on his shot conversion, he has the potential to be a great pick. A more structured system could be the key to unlocking his ability.
The key question is end product. Maresca relies on his wingers for goals and assists, and if Garnacho improves his finishing, he has the potential to become Chelsea’s main left-sided threat. Competition from Gittens and George should push him further, but his dynamism and ability to drive transitions mean he is likely to play a key role.
Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures are generally favourable, aside from Gameweek 7 against Liverpool. The two-week international break before their match against Brentford will give those not included in their national team squads time to settle.
Garnacho wasn’t called up by Argentina due to his limited minutes and has been training at Cobham, so he could feature against Brentford in Gameweek 4, most likely as a substitute.
Fresh from his transfer, Garnacho may be motivated to impress against his former club Manchester United in Gameweek 5.
The sensible approach is to wait and see how he adapts, however, and Gameweek 9 could be a more reliable entry point for FPL squads, giving us plenty of time to assess the situation from afar.
