Chelsea look set to make a major decision on the future of Conor Gallagher, with interest in acquiring his services arriving from Newcastle and Crystal Palace, as football.london understands. The 22-year-old endured a successful loan spell at Palace last season before he returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer where he has struggled to quite recapture the form he had shown in south London.
Gallagher has been an important squad member for the Blues this campaign, making 24 appearances across four competitions, with 16 of those coming from the bench. Chelsea's midfield has been a major issue over the last few months, with injuries plaguing the position as a significant rebuild looks more and more necessary.
The two-man central midfield setup that was deployed by Thomas Tuchel and now Graham Potter does not directly benefit Gallagher, who seems to thrive in a three-man midfield that allows him to make bursts forward. This was shown perfectly by his ability to impact the game in key attacking moments that saw him notch eight goals last season under Patrick Vieira.
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Ironically, it could be said his best two games this campaign have come against his former loan club, with Gallagher scoring a stoppage time winner against Palace earlier this season, and according to Potter, who is a big fan of Gallagher, he showed his best attributes in the recent 1-0 win over Palace on Sunday.
"I thought he was fantastic; great energy and great quality," said Potter after the game. "He was playing against a team he respects and likes a lot.
"He’s been frustrated because he hasn’t had the game time that he would like but at the same time, he’s worked unbelievably professionally to support the team. So it’s nice today that he’s got that reward and was part of a winning performance."
As mentioned by the Chelsea boss, consistent game time has been hard for Gallagher to achieve thus alerting Newcastle and Palace and while his display over the weekend will certainly help his case to Potter, a transfer decision will be made on the England international in the coming days, according to Fabrizio Romano.
In his CaughtOffside Daily Briefing, Romano wrote: "Interest is genuine and strong by both Newcastle and Crystal Palace since July, but it’s up to Chelsea.
"They will make a decision on many players in the next days, including Gallagher. Potter remains big fan of his potential but it has to be club decision together with the coach."
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