Marcos Alonso has been linked with a move to Inter Milan (Getty Images)
According to Sport Witness (h/t Football.london), Marcos Alonso’s father has claimed that the left-back would leave Chelsea in the summer.
Alonso, 29, came through the ranks of Real Madrid’s youth system and joined Bolton Wanderers in 2010. Three years later, he moved to Italy with Fiorentina where he played 85 games for the Serie A outfit before joining Chelsea.
In 136 games for the Blues, the Spaniard racked up 20 goals and 17 assists. He became an integral member of the squad in the last three years and has won the Premier League, FA Cup and the Europa League.
However, everything changed when Frank Lampard took charge at Stamford Bridge last summer. The former Sunderland man has fallen down the pecking order and has seen limited game time, appearing in just 9 league games so far despite putting in a match-winning performance against Tottenham last weekend.
The Blues were banned from making any signings last summer and they also failed to bring reinforcements in January. They have only two established left-backs in their ranks in Emerson Palmieri and Alonso. Therefore, letting the Spaniard leave would be a huge blunder.
The left-back has been with the club for four years and had established himself as the first-choice in that position. The manager should make use of him as he still has a lot more to offer. That is evident from the game against Tottenham, where Alonso scored the crucial match-winning goal.
He is capable of playing helping the team’s attack when needed. Though he is primarily a left-back, he is put in some impressive performances while being deployed in a left-midfield role.
Chelsea would find it hard to replace him with another left-back as Emerson has also been frozen by the Blues boss. The Italian was brought in as a cover for Alonso but hasn’t impressed the manager. And therefore, keeping the £100,000-a-week star at the club would be a huge boost to the depth in the squad.
The Spanish international can prove to be a valuable asset to the team if he is able to replicate the good form he has produced in the last few seasons. And the manager should give him the time to improve his game.
The 29-year-old still has three years left in his contract at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea should use this opportunity to bring the best out of him. They are one of the top teams in England and would need a full-strength squad to challenge in various competitions.
Therefore, opting against selling the left-back would be a good decision by the Londoners in the future. His experience could pay off handsomely for the Blues.
