Chelsea's Recruitment Challenges: Rooney's Take on Gittens and Garnacho
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have grown used to the glare. Since their takeover, every window, every deal, every bloated squad list has been picked apart. Now Wayne Rooney has joined the chorus – and he’s gone straight for the heart of Chelsea’s recruitment.
On his BBC podcast, the Manchester United great didn’t bother with diplomacy. He went after the logic of the squad itself, and in particular the wide players Chelsea have chosen to move on and bring in.
“I think Chelsea will have to sell some players because they’ve got a big squad and have made some very strange signings,” Rooney said, before homing in on one decision that still baffles him. “Selling [Noni] Madueke to Arsenal and signing Gittens, I just didn’t get that, I didn’t understand it. I never got the signing of Garnacho, so there’s been some very strange signings.”
It is hard to argue when you look at the numbers.
Madueke has crossed London and come alive. At Arsenal, he has slotted into Mikel Arteta’s system and driven them towards the finish line of a title race and into a Champions League final. His end product, his directness, his confidence in big moments – all of it has helped push the Gunners to the brink of something huge.
Chelsea, by contrast, are left watching a player they sold light up the Emirates while their replacement labours under the weight of expectation.
Gittens arrived at Stamford Bridge with the tag of a £52m solution, the man recruited to plug the gap Madueke left behind. The role was clear: bring pace, bring chaos, bring goals. Instead, the return has been painfully thin. One goal in 27 appearances tells its own story.
Every quiet afternoon, every anonymous cameo has fuelled the argument that Chelsea have gambled too heavily on potential and not nearly enough on proven quality. The attack looks raw, talented, but blunt. For a club that once built its identity on ruthless efficiency in both boxes, that imbalance is jarring.
Rooney’s confusion doesn’t stop with Gittens. He also questioned the decision to prise Alejandro Garnacho away from Old Trafford.
The Argentine international arrived in west London with fanfare and a hefty £40m price tag, another young winger billed as a cornerstone of the “project”. Yet in a blue shirt, the spark that often flashed at Manchester United has dimmed. The swagger, the fearless running at full-backs, the decisive moments – they’ve been rare.
One Premier League goal so far is a meagre return for a player signed to change games. The longer the drought goes on, the louder the doubts become about whether he fits the model, the league position, or the dressing room dynamic Chelsea are trying to build.
Supporters have grown restless. They have watched a squad swollen with youngsters and big fees but short on leadership and reliability. For Rooney, the remedy is obvious.
“There’s players there they need to get rid of to get some more experience in and help the young players,” he said. Strip out the deadwood. Bring in grown-ups. Put some scars and medals alongside the raw talent.
Amid the criticism, though, Rooney sees a possible turning point – and it sits in the dugout.
The appointment of Xabi Alonso has changed the mood music around Stamford Bridge. Not just because of his reputation, but because of his title. He has been given a four-year deal and, crucially, the role of manager rather than head coach. Words matter at Chelsea now.
That distinction hints at a shift in power. Alonso is expected to have greater say over who comes in and who goes out, and his preference is clear: more ready-made senior players to guide the kids and steady the dressing room. If the owners back that stance, the entire recruitment model begins to look different.
Rooney likes what that could mean.
“I like the fact Alonso has been announced as manager and not head coach,” he said. “They’ve got some very talented players so if they get the signings right in the summer I actually think they could be up there challenging for the title. The players will want to play for him because he’s got aura about him.”
That is the challenge now for Boehly, Eghbali and their football operation: turn that aura into authority in the market. Stop strengthening rivals. Stop paying top dollar for maybes. Start building a squad that looks like it belongs at the top of the table, not just on a balance sheet.
Chelsea have gambled big on youth and upside. Madueke’s rise at Arsenal and the struggles of Gittens and Garnacho have exposed the cost of getting those bets wrong.
Alonso arrives with a clear brief and, as Rooney sees it, the presence to change the direction of travel. The next window will show whether Chelsea have finally learned from their own mistakes – or are destined to watch more of their best decisions play out in somebody else’s colours.
