“I agree that he hasn’t played well”

Chelsea hero Joe Cole has offered his advice to Alejandro Garnacho amid the struggles at Stamford Bridge. The Argentine winger made the switch to west London from Manchester United last summer, after falling out of favor with Ruben Amorim.

The 21-year-old signed a long-term contract that runs until 2032 at Chelsea and cost the Blues £40 million in transfer fees. He even labelled the Premier League giants as the ‘best team in the world’ after completing his transfer.

However, Garnacho has struggled to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge. His only goal in the Premier League came during the 2-1 loss to Sunderland back in October 2025. In 23 games, Garnacho has four more assists, which takes his overall goal contribution to just five in the Premier League.

Even though he scored six goals in domestic cup competitions for Chelsea, the Blues’ fans are still unhappy with the output. Amid criticism aimed at Garnacho, Cole has now offered his opinion.

The footballer-turned-pundit stated that Garnacho can still be a top player, but insists the winger has to cut out the noise and work really hard on himself.

Cole told Paddy Power (h/t The Standard):

“There’s always been signs he (Garnacho) can be a top player. With Alejandro it can be the noise around him sometimes. To be fair to him, there’s not been too much this season. But when there’s historic issues (with Manchester United), then as a player you have to really toe the line.

“There’s so much scope for him to become a better player, but he has to really believe in it and really want to do it and really get on the right track.”

With Chelsea expected to appoint a new manager in the summer, Cole also added that Garnacho’s career will depend on whoever takes the job. As a piece of advice, Cole urged Garnacho to get settled and start being happy before he can show his best quality on the pitch.

Cole also stated that he does not think Garnacho has been ‘dreadful’, like many critics would suggest:

“It’s going to be down to him and the new manager. When a new manager comes in, where does Garnacho stand in his thoughts?

“If I was advising him, I’d say he needs to find a homeland where he’s going to be settled and happy.

“The Chelsea fans are a little bit disgruntled with him at the moment, and I agree that he hasn’t played well. But he’s not been dreadful; he’s just not at his best.”

Chelsea next face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Monday. They need a win to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive.

Chelsea receive huge boost ahead of Nottingham Forest clash

Interim boss Calum McFarlane has confirmed that Chelsea could welcome both Reece James and Levi Colwill back into the squad for the game against Nottingham Forest.

Colwill, who was instrumental during the Blues’ run to Club World Cup triumph, has not played a single game this season due to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury he suffered in pre-season.

Meanwhile, captain James has been unavailable since the middle of March due to a hamstring problem. Speaking to the reporters ahead of the next game, McFarlane confirmed the duo’s status:

“Reece is back in training. Levi is back in training. Both looking good. Little bit of a way to the game (on Monday) so we’ll see how they do day by day, but both are looking promising.”

Chelsea are currently on a five-game losing streak in the Premier League. They are eighth with 48 points from 34 matches.