What Chelsea thought of Alejandro Garnacho behind the scenes as moment that sealed his fate emerges

Chelsea and Alejandro Garnacho reached a 'mutual' decision over his move to Aston Villa long before it was completed, it has been reported.

Garnacho signed for Villa on loan, with a conditional obligation to buy on Thursday afternoon. It is unclear as to the exact nature of those conditions.

Should the move become permanent, it has been claimed that the Blues expect to recoup most of, if not all, their £43 million valuation of the 22-year-old.

For Garnacho, Villa represent his third club in under 12 months after he signed for Chelsea from Manchester United last August.

But it does mean he will be playing Champions League football this season, with Chelsea's poor run of form under interim boss Calum McFarlane at the end of last season causing them to miss out on Europe altogether.

Xabi Alonso is now in charge at Stamford Bridge and it was decided soon into his reign that Garnacho's future lay elsewhere.

But according to the Daily Mail, the player himself also wanted to leave Chelsea after a difficult first season at the club.

There were flashes of brilliance, such as during Chelsea's 4-1 win at his new club Villa in February. Still, the inconsistency that had plagued his latter days at United was also present.

It is reported that, as per sources close to the club, Chelsea 'liked' Garnacho behind-the-scenes and that he was seen as 'shy and misunderstood'.

Indeed, former manager Liam Rosenior is said to have seen Garnacho as a player 'who preferred an arm around him', and spoke about him publicly in positive terms despite his struggles for form.

What Garnacho said in his first Aston Villa interview

The Argentinian winger will now work under another new manager in Unai Emery, who has gained a reputation for taking players who have encountered hard times at other clubs and helped them to regain their form.

Garnacho says he is looking forward to working under Unai Emery at Aston Villa (Image: Getty)

It is suggested that Emery was convinced to sign Garnacho following his performance in Chelsea's aforementioned 4-1 away win over Villa.

The 22-year-old will look to his former United team-mate Marcus Rashford as an example, with the forward spending the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan at Villa after being discarded at Old Trafford by Ruben Amorim there.

His performances under Emery earned him a recall to the England squad under Thomas Tuchel, and then a loan move to Barcelona, where he spent last season.

Rashford is now back at United after a positive World Cup campaign and may be reintegrated into the first-team squad under head coach and his former team-mate Michael Carrick.

Garnacho said as much in his first interview as an Aston Villa player, stating that he wanted to get back to the player he was after coming through the ranks at United.

READ MORE: Alejandro Garnacho makes incredibly honest admission in first interview as an Aston Villa player

"I think I was looking for a club to get confidence, and try to be the player that I was years ago, from my first years at United," he told Villa's official website.

"I spoke with the manager [Emery] and he gave me that confidence to be here and try to help the team."