CHELSEA CONFIDENTIAL: Why Blues may end Alejandro Garnacho interest

Back in 1976, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil asked the team’s supporters to show him what they’ve got in an open tryout. Vince Papale turned up, the local lad showing so much heart that the bartender and substitute teacher became an NFL rookie aged 30.

Anyway, after seeing the goals conceded by ES Tunis goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said here at the home of the Eagles, you imagine a few fans might be tempted to send their grandmothers for an audition to go in goal. After all, she could have saved that shot from Tyrique George at the end of Tuesday’s sweaty group game at the Lincoln Financial Field, and she probably wouldn’t have lacked as much mobility when Liam Delap scored his first goal for Chelsea, either.

ES Tunis and Ben Said made it easy for Chelsea to reach the knockout stages and greater challenges will await at this Club World Cup. They will face Benfica in the last 16 in Charlotte on Saturday. The winner of that will then meet Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarter-finals in Philadelphia next Friday.

While they are not walkovers by any means, it could have been so much worse for Chelsea. Manager Enzo Maresca is refusing to say so publicly, but privately he can only see the pathway in front of him. If his side do not get to New York for the semi-finals, it will be a missed opportunity. They could have faced Bayern Munich instead of Benfica next. They could then have been paired with Paris Saint-Germain rather than a Brazilian side thereafter.

The draw has opened up for Chelsea. They are on one side, and on the other are Bayern and PSG, who will probably be joined by Real Madrid and maybe Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.

NYC beckons for Chelsea, who managed to rest their big names such as Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Reece James against ES Tunis. Delap also avoided the yellow which would have seen him suspended for Benfica, with Nicolas Jackson still banned for his silly red card versus Flamengo.

No nod for Wes 

I asked Maresca after the ES Tunis win whether he is thinking of adding anyone to his Club World Cup squad now that he can make additions for the knockout stages.

Wesley Fofana has been hanging around  in the United States, for example, despite not being eligible as he wasn’t named in the original list sent to FIFA.

However, Maresca told me he won’t be adding Fofana, nor is he planning on bringing in anyone from back home.

‘Wes is here because he is trying to be with us, to recover with us, but there is no chance he can be involved in the squad,’ Maresca said. ‘At the moment there is no plan to bring in other players.’

Blues close in on next signing 

Speaking of those who will not be added to Chelsea’s Club World Cup squad, that includes Jamie Gittens, even though they are closing in on an agreement with Borussia Dortmund to sign the 20-year-old Englishman. Talks are ongoing and another bid from the Blues is forthcoming after they saw their previous £42million offer turned down by Dortmund, who want £50m.

FIFA rules state a player cannot play for two clubs at this tournament and Dortmund have already given Gittens a grand total of 13 minutes as a substitute against Fluminense.

Chelsea went into this summer with a plan to find value in the market and they see that in Gittens, with whom it is believed personal terms on a seven-year contract have already been agreed.

If that deal cannot be done, Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and Lyon’s Malick Fofana remain on Chelsea’s winger shortlist. When news broke last week that Chelsea were still interested in Garnacho, #notogarnacho was trending on X. Chelsea’s higher ups will take no notice of social media hashtags, but they do take character into account when assessing signings and you wonder whether that would work against Garnacho after his history of United fallouts. We will see if they can get Gittens, first and foremost.

Ball on the ground, please 

Chelsea are sticking with their training base in Davie, Florida, for the next stage of the Club World Cup rather than trying to hastily arrange a new one closer to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they will be facing Benfica in Saturday’s last-16 tie at the Bank of America Stadium.

There are some concerns over the state of the newly-laid turf at that stadium in Charlotte, however. Chelsea staff watched Benfica’s win over Bayern Munich and you did not need to hold a Pro Licence to note how the ball was bouncing like a rock. Best keep it on the carpet, then.

The grass is sometimes greener

While Delap was initially disappointed to miss out on going away with England’s Under-21s for their Euros, the 22-year-old feels coming to the Club World Cup with Chelsea has been highly beneficial.

Normally, a new signing needs time to get to know his team-mates, as once training is finished at Cobham everyone heads home in the early afternoon. But because Chelsea are constantly together in the United States – and have had a great deal of downtime, given the heat has made it impossible for them to hold training sessions lasting longer than an hour – this is accelerating that process.

Delap is also trying to think of a celebration he can do after his goals ahead of next season. He’s open to suggestions. Send them in and maybe we’ll pass over your ideas next time we’re with him.

Not the right time yet for Santos 

Maresca feels Andrey Santos needs more sessions with him before he can be a starter for Chelsea. He at least got to make his debut versus ES Tunis as a 68th-minute substitute.

While I thought he resembled a 21-year-old nervously making his first appearance for a big club as he lost the odd ball, he was effective. He would have won a penalty, had VAR not decided it was a harsh handball call against Yassine Meriah after Santos’ shot. He then secured an assist as he set up George in stoppage time, even if Ben Said should never have let the strike go through him.

Good guy Isa

I’ve only had the briefest of brief conversations with Willie Isa, the former rugby league star now working with Chelsea’s squad in a support role.

It was midway through Monday morning’s training session at Philadelphia Union’s Subaru Park, while we were trying to figure out whether the huge fans that were supposed to be cooling the players were pumping out hot air or cold.

I pressed the blue button for the mist setting and bolted out of blind panic as a whoosh of cloud began blowing, not wanting to be the reason the session was suddenly halted.

He seems like a good guy, Isa, very personable and someone easy to like by the players and staff. He has been seen as a good addition to the group.

His predecessor was Gilbert Enoka, their previous hire from rugby who came up with the ‘no d***heads policy’ for the All Blacks. I also spoke with Enoka last year only to confirm that his time with Chelsea had ended without any announcement. He said it was only ever a short-term agreement.

It is what it is

I have big news. I won’t name and shame the culprit, but one member of the Chelsea travelling cohort has a Love Island suitcase with them as their luggage in the United States.

And they’re very proud of that fact. You don’t have to push much for it to be brought up in conversation. A bonus is it makes it easy to spy on the carousel, I suppose. Honestly, I rate it.