Marcos Alonso was dismissed by some observers as a
journeyman incapable of improving big-spending Chelsea, but he has spectacularly
confounded his critics this season.
Alonso’s stunning showings for the Blues since a reported
£23 million move back to the Premier League may have come as a surprise to
many, but not to followers of previous clubs Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and
Fiorentina.
The exorbitant fee involved – within this vulgar period of
outlandish sums being thrown around for even the most average of footballers –
was viewed as a feat of wild opportunism on the part of La Viola.
However, those appraisals were surely concluded without
looking deeper at the impact made by the player during time spent with his former
employers.
Alonso made his way through the ranks at star-studded Real
Madrid to post a solitary first-team appearance as a late substitute at Racing
Santander in April 2010.
He was allowed to leave the Bernabeu that summer despite undoubted
promise and subsequently embarked upon a journey to north-west England – not along
the usual route to one of the big guns based within that region, but on the
less-trodden path to Bolton.
Burden of expectation as he tried to emulate his footballing
father and granddad perhaps put undue pressure on the young man’s shoulders,
especially as both relatives in question featured on the highest stage domestically
and were capped internationally.
His recovery from that setback was a slow-burner, as he
played a bit-part throughout two Premier League campaigns which eventually led
to relegation. He later found form at Championship level, where the Trotters
missed out on a play-off spot by a whisker and Alonso claimed a worthy Player
of the Year accolade.
Wanderers offered a new contract, but he opted for an
intriguing switch to Serie A with Fiorentina instead. Again, scant progress was
made, as he struggled to hold down a regular slot in the team aside from the
odd European run-out. As a result, he returned to England quicker than expected
by way of a short-term loan with Premier League side Sunderland a few months
later.
Alonso’s influence on the top-flight strugglers was instant,
with his boundless energy and marauding runs along the left flank improving Gus
Poyet’s side both defensively and in attack.
His displays were a revelation, as the Black Cats reached
Wembley for a cherished League Cup final appearance and came back from the dead
to stave off the dreaded drop.
He swiftly became a fans’ favourite, and it was evident that
both the club’s adoring support and then-boss Poyet wanted to complete a
permanent deal for the likeable Spaniard.
Drawn-out talks took place between Sunderland and their
Italian counterparts, who were said to be holding out for £5 million, but an
agreement could not be reached. The rest, as they say, is history.
Alonso returned to Italy unsure of his future, but revelled
in a similar advanced position to the one he currently occupies for Chelsea, as
La Viola reached the Europa League and Coppa Italia semi-finals in his first
term back in purple.
After two barnstorming years, the Gigliati were reluctant to
sell, hence the transfer-fee inflation rate. But, the Madrid-born star represented
the exact prototype required to click seamlessly into Antonio Conte’s tactical framework
and they simply had to snare his services, regardless of cost.
Now a key factor in an expansive 3-4-3 formation, which has
helped the west Londoners to the top of the league, Alonso looks every inch the
top-class player that those who saw him at close quarters in the past believed he
could become.
Four goals, two assists and 18 chances created from 20
outings thus far offer a clear indication of his attacking prowess, whilst he
has made an average of 1.7 interceptions and 3.4 clearances per game when undertaking
defensive duties.
Those who scoffed at Chelsea’s pursuit of a man who has since
become a starting line-up fixture have fallen strangely silent, now that everyone
has finally woken up to the assured 26-year-old’s true quality.
Entering into the prime of his career, an international cap to
proudly place alongside his dad and grandfather’s cherished honours shouldn’t
be too far away.
