Surely Aston Villa are not about to make the same mistake twice. The club have already spent an entire season covering the sizeable wages of a loan player they had no intention of keeping. Would they really allow history to repeat itself?
When people assess Alejandro Garnacho’s predicament at Villa Park, Harvey Elliott is the name that inevitably comes up. The situations share the same structure — a loan deal containing a conditional obligation to buy — as well as the same concern over a shortage of first-team football.
By last autumn, Unai Emery had made it clear he did not want to sign Elliott permanently. Under the terms of the agreement, the midfielder made only nine appearances during the campaign before returning to Liverpool.
At that point in his Villa career, Elliott had played just 118 minutes, despite arriving only at the end of the 2025 summer transfer window. Garnacho, meanwhile, has managed only 31 minutes since moving to Villa Park.
The £43 million transfer scheduled for next summer under the loan agreement with Chelsea — and dependent on certain targets being met — is already beginning to look improbable.
Garnacho still has time to change the narrative. Villa will play two friendlies during the international break, including a meeting with Sevilla in Spain on October 2. The Argentine must throw himself fully into the training camp, because the remainder of his Villa career could depend on how he responds.
Alejandro Garnacho has endured a miserable start at Aston Villa, playing only 31 minutes so far this season
‘We are delighted with Alejandro,’ Unai Emery said at Garnacho’s unveiling. ‘He is so talented.’ That optimism already feels like a distant memory
Why Garnacho?
Shortly after Aston Villa’s 3-1 victory over Coventry on September 16, Garnacho was seen leaving the CBS Arena and making his way towards the team bus. Emery had rotated his side for the Carabao Cup tie, so many expected the winger to feature. Instead, he did not get on the pitch at all.
The decision would disappoint any player, particularly one who had already accumulated almost 200 senior appearances and won eight Argentina caps before turning 23. It is understood, too, that the players were not required to complete any compulsory post-match exercises because they were due back in training the next morning.
Even so, sustained commitment is usually the quickest way to win Emery’s trust. The Villa manager places great importance on players being ‘serious, mature, responsible’ professionals.
Emery may not be standing on the touchline after the final whistle, but that does not mean he is unaware of what takes place.
Members of his coaching staff will report back on the post-match running drills in detail: which exercises were completed, who maintained their intensity and whether anyone appeared to ease off.
Garnacho remained an unused substitute at Tottenham three days later. Had Brazilian winger Alysson been fit, he might not even have been included in the squad.
The appeal of Garnacho is clear. Although he endured a difficult spell at Chelsea last season, he scored 21 goals and supplied 17 assists for Manchester United between 2023 and 2025. Emery has wanted a direct, attacking wide player ever since taking charge at Villa, and Garnacho appeared to fit that profile.
The lingering question, however, is whether Emery was genuinely determined to sign him. Was Garnacho really a priority in the same way Morgan Rogers was in January 2024, Marco Asensio was the following year or Nicolas Jackson was this summer?
If he was, it is difficult to explain why Emery has since placed academy prospect George Hemmings ahead of Garnacho and approved a £50 million deal for Ibrahim Mbaye, who is capable of playing on either wing. Villa’s early-season faith in Alysson adds to the uncertainty.
Shortly after Aston Villa’s 3-1 win over Coventry on September 16, Garnacho, pictured the previous week, was leaving the CBS Arena and heading towards the team bus
Garnacho was still in his tracksuit at Tottenham three days later and may not have made the squad had Brazilian winger Alysson been available
Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris and Chelsea counterpart Behdad Eghbali are also thought to enjoy good relations though Emery laughed off suggestions last month that the two clubs, both on the naughty step with UEFA for breaching financial rules, would ever help each other.
‘They want to kill us, and we want to kill them,’ he said. ‘They signed Morgan and Emiliano Martinez to kill us.’
The facts are these: Garnacho joined Villa from Chelsea on July 23, two days after Rogers had moved in the opposite direction for a record £117m. Chelsea and Villa traded four players this summer alone, with Martinez moving to Stamford Bridge along with Rogers, and Jackson joining Garnacho in the West Midlands. Set-piece coach Austin MacPhee swapped Villa for Chelsea, too.
Clubs can deal with one another as they see fit but unless Garnacho starts to play regularly, we will always wonder about the exact circumstances that led him to Villa.
Can Garnacho turn it around?
After Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, Garnacho is the third player to lose his way at United and turn up at Villa on loan not long afterwards.
The spell at Villa Park in the second half of 2024-25 revived Rashford’s career. Though he could not help Villa qualify for the Champions League, he did enough under Emery to earn a year’s loan at Barcelona and make the England squad for the World Cup. Rashford is now playing for United again, which seemed impossible only a year ago.
On the flipside, Sancho started only nine Premier League games for Villa and is now without a club after leaving Old Trafford last summer. Reports in Russia this week said the 26-year-old was in discussions with top-flight club Krasnodar. Emery had really wanted Rashford; Sancho not so much.
Whose path will Garnacho follow? Playing for Emery can be exhausting but there are still relatively painless ways to impress him.
Emery has already ticked off Garnacho for dawdling on the touchline when preparing to come on
The Villa boss reignited Marcus Rashford’s career after he fell out of favour at Man United. Can he do the same for Garnacho?
Lucas Digne, for example, won his boss over partly by turning up for extra sessions on his days off. ‘Continue working,’ said Emery when asked how Garnacho can force his way into the team. ‘Work, work, train, work.’
There is another simple rule with Emery: a player can catch the eye as much he likes on the ball but if he does not follow instructions when Villa do not have possession, he will not play very often.
Emery has already ticked off Garnacho for dawdling on the touchline when preparing to come on and has admitted Garnacho could have done better in his early appearances. These are not good signs.
Listening actively in meetings, both individual and collective, is also key. Emery will explain in painstaking detail what he wants from a player. If he does not deliver it, woe betide him.
Emery will not tailor his approach to young people with short attention spans. It’s his immersive way – repetitive training sessions, 90-minute video briefings, detailed tactical breakdowns – or nothing. With 12 major trophies to his name, why should he change?
After significant turnover this summer, Emery is relying even more on a cohort of senior players who have been at Villa throughout his time – John McGinn, Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia. They emphasise to new signings exactly what is needed to succeed at the club.
The smart ones listen and learn. There is no suggestion that Garnacho, a shy, quiet individual, is disruptive but clearly he is not doing enough to convince Emery and right now few at Bodymoor Heath can see a path to regular first-team football.
There is mitigation: Garnacho suffered a nasty facial injury during a pre-season fixture against Thai club BG Pathum United, which slowed his progress and meant he did not feature in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain. Playing on the wing for Emery is also the most tactically demanding role on the pitch and very few master it immediately.
Daily Mail Sport understands Garnacho scored the only goal in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Southampton yesterday. That won’t do his cause any harm.
Garnacho’s career is still in his own hands – though Sancho’s tale should be fresh in his mind.
There is no suggestion that Garnacho is disruptive but clearly he is not doing enough and right now few at Bodymoor Heath can see a path to regular first-team football
How does the story end?
Watch Garnacho’s first interview at Villa and you will see a player who has lost his way and is fighting to regain it.
‘We are delighted with Alejandro,’ said Emery at the time. ‘He is so talented, young and he showed us his wish to help our project. We are really happy.’
Emery has seen what Garnacho can do. Cash was one of Villa’s best players last season yet when Chelsea hammered them 4-1 at Villa Park, Garnacho gave the right back a chasing. It was a reminder of what he offered during his best spells at United.
‘I was looking for a club to get confidence and to try to be the player I was in my first years at United,’ said Garnacho on the day he joined Villa. ‘I spoke with the manager and I think he will give me the confidence to be here and to help the team.’ Emery and Garnacho were filmed embracing during the video.
Since he crossed swords with former United boss Ruben Amorim, there has been far more focus on Garnacho’s mistakes than his talent – and this is partly his fault. He still has immense raw ability and Emery is exactly the type of coach who can unlock it, as long as they can find a common understanding.
Time is already running out. Daily Mail Sport revealed on September 21 that La Liga clubs are already following the situation, should the loan be cancelled in January. If that happens, it would feel like a huge missed opportunity, for Villa, Emery and most of all Garnacho himself. The ball is in his court.
