Marcos Alonso has been linked with a move to Inter Milan (Getty Images)
Daily Star reports that Chelsea could sell up to three more players in the remaining few days of the transfer window, including £100,000-a-week star Marcos Alonso. The club have overseen a considerable number of additions to the squad with the likes of Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Thiago Silva. Now they are looking to balance the books a little with player sales.
The 29-year-old Spanish left-back started his youth career at Real Madrid’s famed youth academy in 1999 and progressed through the youth teams before being called up to the RM Castilla side in 2008.
He spent the next two seasons there and was only called up to the senior side once for a La Liga fixture. Bolton Wanderers signed him in 2010 but he didn’t feature on a regular basis for them for the following two seasons. It was only in his last season there that he started getting more game time. He played a total of 46 games for the side before departing for Fiorentina.
Midway through the season, he was sent on loan to Sunderland and after his return, he was instated as the first-choice left-back. He went on to make 85 appearances and contributed to 12 goals (5G + 7A). Antonio Conte brought him to Chelsea and tried him at wing-back.
The decision paid off tremendously as Alonso went on to become one of the most lethal defenders in the league. In 152 appearances for the Blues, he has scored 22 goals and assisted 18 (source – Transfermarkt). A rather surprising stat is that he has played only 3 games for the Spanish national team.
It all started from the West Brom game last weekend where Alonso was subbed off at half-time. Manager Frank Lampard was unhappy at the player for not watching the remainder of the game with the other substitutes. Instead, the defender watched it on the team bus. This led to Lampard getting furious and reproached the player in front of his teammates after the game was over.
Alonso has been underused ever since Lampard took over and the arrival of Ben Chilwell did nothing to help that cause. With Emerson Palmieri also at the club and Cesar Azpilicueta able to put in a shift at left-back, it seems like Marcos Alonso’s days at the club look to be numbered.
Alonso has looked suspect defensively while playing in a back-four, which has been Lampard’s standard formation. Alonso looks more comfortable as a wing-back, something he may not get at Chelsea anymore. Sky Sports reports that Inter Milan may look to bring in Alonso as Conte remains a big fan of the player.
It looks like the end of the road for Alonso at Chelsea. It just feels that letting Alonso go is the best for both club and player at this point.
