Conor Gallagher has opened up on what lays ahead of him this summer. The 23-year-old is one of the many first team stars at Chelsea that could yet leave the club but is far from certain to be on his way.
After starting each of the last five games he racked up over 1,600 league minutes for his boyhood club last season, but that was still the least he has played in a campaign since his senior debut for Charlton in 2019. Across loans at Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace he became an integral member of each squad.
At Chelsea it has been much harder to nail down a spot. His competition is no longer mid-table Premier League opposition but instead World Cup and Champions League winners, £100million signings and more experienced professionals. Nevertheless, only three players scored more than his three league goals.
Only Joao Felix scored more from a lower volume of minutes than Gallagher and only Kai Havertz played as many matches as the Englishman. With 18 starts he only got the nod from the offset in half the matches, but still appeared in 35 of the 38 fixtures, making 17 substitute appearances.
Nobody in the Chelsea squad made more than that, highlighting his importance to the squad, even as a rotation option. However, with the need to sell players for financial accounting practices, his value as an academy player on the books as pure profit when sold and his desirability, he is one of the potential outgoings.
With Tottenham and Brighton amongst the potential new clubs for Gallagher, football.london now expects him to leave the club rather than stay beyond the summer. Even though he appears to suit the style of Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea are open to selling him.
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Despite a shocking first year for the team, Gallagher was still selected for England's Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Malta and North Macedonia. Reece James, Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell are all injured and therefore unavailable for selection by Gareth Southgate, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Raheem Sterling were eligible.
The Three Lions pair weren't deemed in good enough form to be considered by Southgate, though, and so Gallagher was the lone representative from Chelsea. It is a statement to his importance for both club and country - having also gone to the World Cup in Qatar - that he is still in the mix.
Speaking after the game, he revealed where things are at in regards to his future. "I love Chelsea," he told the Evening Standard. "It has been a tough season for me and the whole team so I think we will just be working hard to get us back to where we belong."
Chelsea are also in talks to let go of Mount, Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic and face losing N'Golo Kante as well this summer. With Gallagher it could mean Pochettino is five midfielders down heading into the new season.
Chelsea are looking to bring in at least two new names to balance the position somewhat, as well as plans to incorporate returning loanees Andrey Santos and Cesare Casadei into things, but speculation over Gallagher is still unsettling.
He will soon have the first chance to meet with Pochettino at Cobham, though, as the Argentine officially starts work on July 1. "He’s a top manager, everyone at Chelsea is happy he’s here and we’re looking forward to working with him," Gallagher said of the incoming head coach.
He now faces the task of convincing a fourth Chelsea boss in the space of 12 months that he is worthy of regular minutes for the Blues. For his country there is no such pressure. "I am really happy he has shown that trust in me still and I think he knows I will work as hard as I can no matter what to give my best," Gallagher said of Southgate.
"I just need to keep working hard and get a bit of my confidence back in a way. I didn’t lose it but I need to get a rhythm of playing more games, score more goals and I am trying to reach that stage."
