Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid: Thoughts

 There is a sense of inevitability around the fact that Conor Gallagher is going to depart Chelsea. Whether by choice or force, it feels more and more a matter of when and not if. Gallagher, the Chelsea boy is going to be sold. And through this post, I try to articulate my feelings around the prospective transfer of Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid. 

I start by saying that in over a decade and a half of supporting Chelsea, nothing gives me as much joy as seeing us lift trophies. That feeling of euphoria with each trophy lift is simply unmatched. The culmination of pulsating moments of joy, despair and hope and expectation. Lacking these past two years, so close this February and yet far. But something else that gives me and I'm sure a lot of other Chelsea fans joy is to watch an academy graduate making their debut. 

And in this case, excel. Conor Gallagher simply didn't just make his debut but he went on to represent his club in the Premier League 72 times. We are talking about a 24 year old who has spent 11 years in the Chelsea academy. Since the age of 8, this boy has been a part of Chelsea Football Club. He lives by Cobham and breathes by Chelsea. Gallagher has grown up watching Chelsea at their peak, breaking records and winning titles with the crowning Champions League triumph of Munich. 

This is a boy who had a dream and he fulfilled it. This is a boy who underwent heart surgery but did not waver from his path. Nor did it waver, his love for Chelsea Football Club. And so I ask, why? Why are we selling this lad? This lad, who lives and breathes Chelsea? What has he done to be treated so? Of course, he could have been treated worse, ask Trevoh Chalobah another Chelsea lad, now banished to the youth teams. 

Then there are the briefs. Shameless as they are, so transparent and yet it does feed the gullible and it saddens me, to see a healthy portion of the online fanbase unable to read through the lines. To see that an attempt is being made to turn public perception against this boy who lives and breathes Chelsea. You will be hard pressed to find a player with a bluer heart than Conor Gallaghers and not because he works twice as hard as any of his teammates. 

BlueCo, you offer 7 year contracts to any and everyone but you offer Gallagher only a 2 year contract with an option of extension? Really? And then you accept a bid for him and only then, do you release the news that he rejected a contract extension. Laughable really, and more so given you lot fed Romano the news the contract was offered in June. And where was Gallagher in June? The small matter of representing his country in an international tournament, nothing serious really. To offer a player a contract extension while he is away at the Euros really does tell us a lot about the custodians of our club. 

The laughable sequence reminds me of a certain Mason Mount, another Chelsea boy. Another victim of the briefs that BlueCo constructed and unleashed. How they smeared his name and how it was portrayed the boy wanted to leave. But, what about the fact that no contracts were offered? What about the fact that Boehly had reached an agreement with Mount and his camp only for Winstanley and Stewart to rescind the contract and then tear it up? 

But then, they have been trying to sell Conor Gallagher for three seasons now, going as far as to accept a bid from Everton in January, 2023. By the way, where did we finish that season? And then came in Pochettino, who realised the value of Gallagher the player and Gallagher the man. He was made one of the captains in the absence of Reece and Chilwell. With gusto, professionalism and consistency in performance, Conor Gallagher led the way. He was one of the constant performers in an topsy-turdy season where we ended up finishing 6th and was only a breadth away from lifting a trophy. 

You can make the argument that Conor Gallagher does not do enough or he does not move the needle per say. But you cannot ignore the fact that he was flanked by over 200 million pounds worth of midfield talent and somehow ended up performing better than them. When Enzo went to have his hernia surgery, Gallaghers performance rose more to prominence to the point where there were questions along the lines of, 'are Chelsea better off without Enzo'? Gallagher ended last season providing 14 goals and assists, meagre but his role off the ball was critical to Pochettino and Chelsea. 

Of course, this leads to another argument: Gallagher does not suit the football Maresca wants to play. The slow, patient, possession based system that Maresca is trying to implement is not going to suit Gallagher or so they say. His critics have taken one of his superior attributes and turned it into his whole playstyle. They have turned Conor Gallagher into a roadrunner, a player who is only good off the ball and his only asset is the hard work he does on the pitch, mopping around after the errors of other players. 

What the critics of Gallagher don't give him praise is for is the technical ability he posses. As is the case of any Cobham graduate, Conor Gallagher possesses is a fine technical player who is very sharp in tight spaces, has very good close control that allows him to receive the ball in all sorts of space and he has a more than decent pass on him. Another strong trait of Gallagher is his ability to arrive late in the box, picking out cutbacks or stray balls; reminiscent of a certain Frank Lampard. His ability to score from outside the box is something very few in the squad can replicate. So, is he really someone who does not suit Maresca? 

Maybe this leads to further digging and maybe what comes out is the financial malpractice of our owners and their entrusted lieutenants. How the transfers they have carried out have not worked, meaning that the financial loophole provided by selling homegrown players is something they are very much taking advantage of. This has also rendered players from Cobham as mere assets rather than humans first and players second. Otherwise, how can you seemingly push away players like Gallagher and Chalobah, who want to stay? 

In the end, it is quite ironic that Chelsea with aspirations of qualifying for the Champions League are selling a player to a team that is a constant in the Champions League and a team that constantly challenges for the La Liga title. It is more ironic that Chelsea had reportedly agreed a deal with Aston Villa. another team in the Champions League, only to pull out due to their unwillingness to sell to a direct rival. 

His suitors are a testament to the quality the player possesses but it breaks my heart, the way in which we are forcing a player who has been with us since the age of 8 out of the club that he so clearly loves. Goodbye, Conor Gallagher and may you find success!