Marcos Alonso was a deadline day transfer for Chelsea last season. After failing to acquire a new left-back throughout the summer of 2016, Chelsea turned their attention to the Spaniard and paid Fiorentina £25m for his services.
Marcos Alonso had previously played in the Premier League for Bolton and Sunderland. However, he failed to make a mark on both occasions and Chelsea’s move for the player was considered to be a panic buy.
The 25-year old went on to enjoy a productive season for the Blues and helped them clinch the Premier League title with some excellent performances at left wing-back. With Chelsea playing 3-4-3, Alonso was given license to bombard up and down the left wing without worrying about the defence too much.
Gary Cahill would push out every time Alonso moved up, thus freeing the Spaniard temporarily of his defensive services and the 25-year old linked up with Hazard to create a majority of Chelsea’s chances.
Chelsea were looking to add further depth to their squad this summer but the lack of right players at the right price meant that Antonio Conte has entered the season with just one recognized left wing-back if we discount Kenedy, who has been average at best. However, Alonso calmed the fear of the Chelsea manager by scoring two goals at Wembley to give Chelsea a 2-1 win against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, one of them being a world-class freekick to beat Hugo Lloris.
Alonso’s dynamic rise to the top has interested Barcelona in acquiring his services. The Catalan outfit currently have Jordi Alba playing as the first team left back but manager Ernesto Valverde remains unconvinced with the fullback. The Spaniard’s poor run of form has further added to Valverde’s lack of conviction and reports claim that he is looking to replace Alba with Marcos Alonso.
Valverde sees Alonso as a long-term replacement to play in the left wing back position at Nou Camp. Barcelona’s attacking game with fullbacks going in on the overlap will suit Alonso’s game whose attacking talent has plenty of prowess to succeed at Nou Camp. However, Alonso has been known to lack defensive skills and perhaps that is what has stopped him from getting into the Spanish national side.
Alonso at the age of 25 has time to grow in stature and should he improve the defensive aspect of his game, the Spaniard can become an ideal modern day full back for any team.
The question, however, is that even if Barcelona does want to him, is it likely that Chelsea will sell their only senior left back? And if they do, what ludicrous price will they set for him in the already inflated transfer market?
