Two months after arriving at Aston Villa on an initial loan from Chelsea, Alejandro Garnacho is still waiting for his Aston Villa career to begin. The Argentina forward has played just 31 minutes in claret and blue, spread across three substitute appearances, and has been an unused substitute for Villa’s past four matches — watching from the bench again as Unai Emery’s side won 3-2 at Tottenham on Saturday for their first Premier League win of the season.
His longest outing so far lasted 15 minutes, against Hull. Beyond that, the picture is of a player yet to convince his manager of his worth.
The wider context is a career that has stalled. Chelsea signed Garnacho from Manchester United for £40m last year, but he managed one goal and four assists in 24 Premier League games last season, an output that fell below what the Blues expected. That is why he was allowed to move on. Garnacho also did not train with Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea squad before leaving for Villa Park in July. Roma were interested in the winger, but their loan offer did not suit Chelsea; Villa’s deal instead gives the Blues the chance to make their money back on last year’s outlay.
Emery has a track record of easing new players in. Youri Tielemans, signed in the summer, did not start a Premier League game until November 2023, yet went on to become an integral part of the side. Only Joao Gomes of Villa’s 10 summer signings started the opening Premier League fixture, and just two — Zion Suzuki and Nicolas Jackson — started the next one.
Garnacho’s situation nonetheless feels extreme. He was left on the bench for the Carabao Cup win at Coventry, a match in which Emery made seven changes. Academy product George Hemmings, who joined Villa from Nottingham Forest as a teenager, has started the season well enough to earn Emery’s full trust and start ahead of him, while Ibrahim Mbaye, a £47m arrival from Paris St-Germain, made his first Villa start in the 3-1 victory at Coventry and is also currently preferred.
A facial injury in early August hampered Garnacho’s pre-season and caused him to miss the Super Cup defeat by Paris St-Germain, adding to the complications around his start at the club.
Emery’s message has been simple. Asked about Garnacho’s absence from the pitch, he said: “Continue working. Work, work, train, work. When he can have minutes to play, try to play well. He is progressing, but we have players in front of him now. George is playing fantastic. Alysson is also understanding things well and is giving us things I want. [Ibrahim] Mbaye also responded well. We want a competitive team and players to compete in the style we have. 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 move itself came together relatively smoothly. Villa wanted more pace in their side and had considered Crysencio Summerville before he moved to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal. Chelsea’s £117m signing of Morgan Rogers from Villa left a gap for Emery to fill, and Garnacho was available, with a positive relationship between the two clubs making discussions easy. Striker Jackson also joined from Chelsea for a Villa club record £65m, and there have been eight deals between the clubs in the past four years.
There is an obligation to buy tied into Garnacho’s loan, believed to relate to appearances, and it is expected to be achievable — but that does not guarantee anything. Harvey Elliott offers a warning from recent memory: the Liverpool loanee would have triggered a move worth £35m had he made just 10 Premier League appearances last season, but he was used only four times in the top flight by Villa. Emery did not feel the 23-year-old was good enough and made up his mind not to sign him permanently just a couple of months into the season. Elliott, now at Valencia, found his options this summer were not as extensive following his year at Villa Park, and the episode raised questions for some within the game about whether a loan at Villa should be viewed with caution.
Garnacho, 22, first made his name as a livewire teenager. He made his Manchester United debut at 17 and was part of Argentina’s Copa America-winning squad in 2024, but has not added to his eight international caps since November of that year. The Madrid-born attacker also won the Premier League’s goal of the season award in 2023-24 for his overhead kick against Everton while playing for United, though his output for Chelsea was disappointing. He has previously spoken about needing time to adapt to a “different club and a different place” at Chelsea, and a further season of struggle would be a significant setback.
Emery is a long-term admirer of Garnacho and is waiting for him to fulfil his potential at Villa. But the winger must first earn the coach’s trust — and then take his chance when it comes.