Is Chelsea a real title candidate?
Well, the Bruce certainly saw that part on Friday night and destroyed a certainly hopeless West Ham United 5-1 at London Stadium.
Summer Signature Joan Pedro scored the club’s first Premier League goal, with fellow rookie Estevan Willian taking the lead role.
Overall, Bruce brought nine new recruits this summer, but for now, only a few are spending around £262 million, so can they sign the “intergenerational” Premier League star before Monday’s deadline?
Chelsea is chasing more talent
One of the deals that hasn’t passed but expected before the transfer window closes is Alejandro Garnacho’s move to Stamford Bridge.
As Athletic’s Simon Johnson pointed out, the deal cannot be considered moving to Nicholas Jackson, Christopher Nukank, Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Axel Disassi, David Datro Fofana, Alfie Gilchrist, and others until Chelsea sells the players.
Garnacho remains “eager to switch to West London, but Chelsea should actually focus on another signature of Manchester United’s semi-outcasts.
Well, United has reportedly focused on Chelsea’s competition to sign Cobby Mine from Old Trafford, while Tottenham, Brighton, Fulham and Brentford have also been noted that they have long been interested in the sense of ratings at £700 million.
They added that Mainoo is currently considering his future at Old Trafford. An unused alternative to both previous Premier League fixtures, Reuben Amorim supports Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, who barely blame themselves.
So will England International actually be the one who will move from Man United to Chelsea in the next few days?
What Kobbie Mainoo brings to Chelsea
What particularly baffles Mainoo’s minutes shortage this season is how essential he has been for Man United in the very recent past.
The highlight of Erik Ten Hag Era was undoubtedly a FA Cup victory, with Mainoo excelling in Manchester City, scoring, What One Be and winning goals at Wembley.
Despite spending two periods on the sidelines last season due to injuries, England International accumulated 37 appearances in all competitions, starting 23 of these matches, earning the most memorable score in the famous comeback victory over the Olympics Lyon.
Teammate Rasmus Højlund even described Mainoo as a “generational talent” in February 2024, but how does his importance to Man United compare to Garnacho?
Let’s look into it.
Career comparison between Mainoo vs Garnacho | ||
|---|---|---|
statistics | Mine | Garnacho |
year | 20 | twenty one |
ManU App | 72 | 144 |
PL App | 50 | 93 |
PL begins | 43 | 58 |
International Cap | 10 | 8 |
Major tournament apps | 6 | 1 |
Estimated value | 43m | £39 million |
Provided by TransferMarkt | ||
As the table outlines, Garnacho, a year older, has more club-level experience, but is he a bigger talent?
Well, Mainoo has become a key figure in Man United, and Amorim labels him “a big talent” and adds that he has “big plans” for the “perfect” defensive midfielder.
This is due to Garnacho’s off-field issues, with teammate Bruno Fernandez admitting that the winger “doesn’t have the best attitude.”
He also talks about each of the duo’s international careers.
Copa America last summer saw Garnacho’s only appearance during a dead-lover group match against Peru in Miami, and in the next 12 months they only added two caps to the Argentine shirt.
At the same time, in Euro 2024, Mainoo was considered the savior of England and was featured as a halftime alternative during the final group game against Slovenia.
So, Garnacho is a precocious talent, but he is a heretic, often inconsistent, and paying him £40 million could be considered a great risk. Chelsea could have had another Joan Felix or Micairo Mudrick.
Meanwhile, Mainoo is a model expert and still has room to develop, so taking advantage of Old Trafford’s chaos to snap him up might be a clever move.