Former Premier League defender Jose Enrique has labelled Conor Gallagher the 'perfect' midfielder and has sent a warning to Chelsea in the process with his Liverpool plea after latest Arsenal masterclass.
Gallagher, 22, has made 26 Premier League appearances for the Eagles this season, scoring eight and assisting three. His form had led to invaluable appearances during the most recent international break. And he has continued that impressive form that had impressed Gareth Southgate with a perfectly timed ball from a free-kick that eventually led to Jean-Philippe Mateta heading in unmarked to give Crystal Palace the lead in the 16th minute against Arsenal on Monday night.
His overall attacking play and creativity at the heart of the Eagles' midfield was a big reason why Patrick Vieira's side were two goals to the good with only 25 minutes on the clock at Selhurst Park. Palace went on to win 3-0 and Gallagher's endeavour was shown by his energy in nearly forcing a mistake from Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the second half. He scored a decent 7 out of 10 in football.london's player ratings with the justification: "Delivered a wicked ball into the box that led to the opener and kept his energy levels high throughout despite a slight knee injury picked up in the build-up to Monday."
READ MORE: Chelsea set deadline to complete Erling Haaland deal amid new transfer 'talks'
No wonder Wayne Rooney has already compared the Blues loanee to long-term target Declan Rice. "He is a player who brings a lot of energy, but he also has a lot of quality to go alongside that," the Championship manager said during Monday Night Football's pre-match coverage of Crystal Palace vs Arsenal.
"I think he deserves his England call-up and deserves to play in those games, and I think he can play a big part for England going forward. He can be a player, like Declan Rice, that can be that engine of that England team." And it's not just Rooney himself that has noticed the quality of the man that has gotten Chelsea fans all excited throughout 2021/22 as former Liverpool defender and much liked character Enrique has sent the Blues a warning if they weren't to utilise the abilities of Crystal Palace's current number 23.
He tweeted in the first half off his account @Jesanchez3: " Iwill love Gallagher at LFC. What a player. Love his quality and the intensity. It will fit perfect in Klopp's style of play."