Wright-Phillips: Garnacho and Simons Could Unsettle Chelsea Squad

Chelsea are said to be hotly pursuing moves for attackers Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho. Simons has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, while Garnacho’s issues at Manchester United are well known and widely publicized.

Both moves appear to be taking time to complete - but is there really an urgent need for Chelsea to recruit in this area? We caught up with former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips to discuss the club’s current attacking options and their transfer dealings this summer.

How Do Garnacho and Simons Fit Into the Chelsea Squad?

One of this summer’s longest-running transfer sagas has been the future of Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, who has had his fair share of disciplinary issues at the club under manager Ruben Amorim. The player is said to be keen on remaining in the Premier League and has set his sights on a move to Chelsea, who have already spent heavily this summer.

United are reportedly seeking a fee in the region of £50 million - but will Chelsea be willing to pay that for Garnacho, and how does he fit into what is already a crowded squad?

Wright-Phillips questions the need for Chelsea to recruit in this area when they already have an abundance of attacking options.

"To be totally honest, I don't understand buying both Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho. I think they're absolutely fantastic players and I love watching them but Chelsea has something like four or six wingers already. Of course Noni is gone but they still have Neto who was arguably their best winger last season. They have Gittens too."

"They have so many options so I'm confused as to how they're going to play and who's going to play. You normally only have two in each position and that is a push sometimes as well. It'll be interesting to see how they play, from an attacking point of view, because if you do have that sort of firepower in your arsenal, you should be more than challenging for the title because you've got Estevao who's come in as well."

Could Garnacho and Simons Unsettle the Chelsea Squad?

Xavi Simons is a name that feels as though it’s been around in football far longer than his age of 22 years would suggest. The attacker, who RB Leipzig bought from Paris Saint-Germain for £43million after two successful loan spells, is now firmly on Chelsea’s radar. Simons, who can play across the front line, is said to be valued at around £60 million. Reports suggest Arsenal are also admirers, though their interest remains only that for now.

The question is: how will Maresca ensure all his attacking options - including Estevao get enough game time and remain satisfied?

"Who's going to start? Estevao is going to play on the right-hand side like Neto. So I get you're buying fantastic players but you're buying them in the exact same position and in many ways, they play a similar style. I feel like they need wingers who can do things differently from each other."

"I am looking forward to seeing how Maresca deals with how he's going to put this out because it seems like he will be in a similar situation to what Liverpool will be in if they get Isak.”

“I understand why they want to buy him but if you look at all the top teams, they have one striker that's up there and another that's just a bit under him but they're looking to field two massive starting strikers. Who will be on the bench? They'll have to tinker their system and it could unsettle the team."

Despite Wright-Phillips' concerns, Chelsea are the heavy the favourites to capture the signing of Garnacho with odds of 1.4. As of 8th August, Aston Villa are 13.0, Napoli 17.0 and Tottenham 21.0. You can convert those odds to fractions here.

Read who Jermaine Pennant thinks Arsenal should break the bank for.