Garnacho waits for Villa chance as Emery calls for patience

Alejandro Garnacho has played 31 minutes of football since joining Aston Villa on loan from Chelsea in July.

The 22-year-old Argentina forward has made three substitute appearances so far. His longest outing was 15 minutes against Hull, and he has been an unused substitute for the past four matches, including Villa's 3-2 win at Tottenham, according to BBC Sport.

So far, he is watching more than playing.

Villa manager Unai Emery said Garnacho is progressing but is behind because of his pre-season and needs patience. The winger did not train with Chelsea's squad under Xabi Alonso before the move to Villa Park, which was confirmed as a season-long loan for 2026/27 by Chelsea FC.

A facial injury in early August hampered his pre-season. It kept him out of Villa's Super Cup defeat by Paris St-Germain and left him playing catch-up on fitness.

Competition for places has not waited for him. Emery made seven changes for Villa's 3-1 Carabao Cup win at Coventry — England's midweek knockout cup — but Garnacho stayed on the bench. Ibrahim Mbaye, a £47m summer signing from Paris St-Germain, made his first Villa start in that game.

Garnacho arrived with a modest scoring record from last season. He scored one goal and made four assists in 24 Premier League games for Chelsea, who had signed him from Manchester United for £40m.

His move is part of a busy trading line between the two clubs. Chelsea signed Morgan Rogers from Villa for £117m, while Nicolas Jackson went the other way for £65m, a Villa club record. There have now been eight transfer deals between Chelsea and Villa in the past four years.

Villa had also looked at Crysencio Summerville before he moved to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

What makes this stand out is the contrast between reputation and rhythm. Garnacho made his Villa debut as a late substitute at Brighton with Villa trailing 4-0. Since then, the minutes have come in short bursts. For fans, this means waiting a little longer to see what the loan — a temporary move — can actually offer.