Marcos Alonso has been a game changer for Chelsea since he arrived at the Stamford Bridge. He took very little time to adjust himself with the pros and cons of the Premier League and has emerged as a potential face of the current Chelsea team.
He has been a regular in Antonio Conte’s starting lineup and is already looking pretty menacing this season. He has reinvented the role of wingbacks and has given that necessary weight to the side.
Given his current form, he is expected to be in the coveted list of a number of clubs and Barcelona are reportedly pursuing a move for the left wingback. Ernesto Valverde has especially pointed out the weaker left side where he doesn’t have many options as of now.
Jordi Alba has provided the necessary edge to the team but he can be pretty inconsistent and with time he has become a bit sloppy with his pace and Valverde wants a proper replacement in this section. Lucas Digne lacks the necessary reinforcements to be on the first team so Alonso could bring a lot of options for him.
Marcos joined Real Madrid’s academy as a child and rose through the ranks representing the club on each level. However, his appearances with the first team were limited to a substitute appearance in 2010 following which he joined Bolton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee.
Alonso has never looked back ever since playing in the Italian league with Fiorentina which also included a brief loan stint at Sunderland before finally signing for Chelsea last summer. Alonso flourished in the 3-4-3 formation last season where he made the left side of his own. His darting runs through the flanks helped the attackers to build on a more offensive approach which led them to the title.
When he arrived from Fiorentina nobody would have expected he would turn out as a trump card for the Blues. In the 3-4-3 both wingbacks need to push themselves up in a more forward position to give the side a completely whole new dimension and Alonso thrived in this role.
He made crosses, intercepted attacks, support attacking plays and most importantly scored goals. Conte have used a more different 3-5-2 formation in this season and Alonso has been given the license to roam forward to combine with the attackers more directly.
He scored a brace as Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur in their first big match of this season. Alonso is not the fastest wingbacks in the world but he has shown improvements this season and has formed a unique pair with Davide Zappacosta.
Barcelona haven’t really used the money received from the sale of Neymar and would be looking for further reinforcements in the winter transfer window. But it won’t be easy to lure the player from Conte’s fold who has emerged as one of the main players at the Stamford Bridge.
