Alejandro Garnacho’s Aston Villa career has stalled so badly that head coach Unai Emery has publicly ranked him behind three younger squad players, and Spanish clubs are now watching.
The 22-year-old Argentina international joined Villa on a season-long loan from Chelsea on 23 July, with the package meeting Chelsea’s £42.6m valuation through a conditional obligation to buy that Sky Sports News described as “easily achievable”. Two months in, Garnacho has managed only cameo minutes and sat out Villa’s last four matches as an unused substitute.
Emery: “a little bit behind”
Emery was blunt when asked to explain why the loanee cannot get on the pitch.
“Continue working. Work, work, train, work. When he can have minutes to play, try and play well,” Emery told reporters after Villa’s League Cup tie with Coventry, in which Garnacho watched all 90 minutes from the bench.
Read also: Sesko breaks silence on Instagram after latest injury blow
“Garnacho is a little bit behind, because of some circumstances we had in pre-season. It is time to be patient for the time he needs.”
The players Emery named ahead of him are teenagers George Hemmings and Ibrahim Mbaye, and the 20-year-old Brazilian Alysson. That is not the queue a £42.6m signing was expected to be joining when Villa presented him in a No. 17 shirt in the summer.
Spanish clubs circling
La Liga sides are watching. Reports cited by All Football indicate that clubs in Spain are monitoring Garnacho’s situation, with the permanent £43m transfer still contingent on appearance triggers that at this rate look further away than they did in July.
No club has been named publicly, and there has been no formal approach. Garnacho was born in Madrid and came through Atlético Madrid’s academy before Manchester United signed him at 16, so the geography of a possible return writes itself.
Read also: Tottenham make Roberto De Zerbi decision after nightmare start
How Garnacho got to Villa Park
Garnacho left Old Trafford for Chelsea in summer 2025 in a £40m deal, spent a season at Stamford Bridge, then pushed for a move this summer that took him to Villa Park on loan.
At Villa, the front line settled without him during pre-season, and Emery’s team-sheet has reflected that ever since. With the appearance clauses in the permanent obligation looking increasingly hard to trigger from the bench, La Liga interest offers Chelsea and the player an alternative route out in January.
Read also: 'Unconscionable': Amnesty presses UEFA to suspend Israel days before Nations League opener
