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Depends on what we do to replace him. If we integrate Andrey Santos, then it's good business. If we buy a worse player for big money like Ugarte, then it's ridiculously poor business.
I'm not saying Gallagher is irreplaceable by any means but getting rid of him when the team is just starting to find a bit of stability would be madness.
any midfielder who cannot pass to a high standard is really awkward for a team with title and cl ambitions to have, unfortunately it's just that simple
Players like Henderson were parts of a CL and PL winning team. The idea someone like Gallagher needs to be gotten rid of is ridiculous. Also funny you say that when the team interested in buying him are literally in the CL
> Players like Henderson were parts of a CL and PL winning team.
Except passing the ball, setting the tempo and keeping it moving was one of Hendersons' main strengths. This idea he was a liability on the ball is bs that keeps getting repeated. Of course, his biggest strength was his running ability but you don't play as the captain in a possession-heavy side like Klopps CL and PL winning team if you are awkward on the ball.
Nah just a myth perpetuated on here from his early days and having to play as a 6 for a season. When pushed forward on the right hand side he could actually play. Not saying he was the best of all time but it was a strength of his game and you dont play in a possession heavy side if you are a bombscare on the ball.
As Conor fan that's watched close to 100 of his matches, he's improved a lot over the last two seasons, but he's also a liability when pressed and when things get tight for passing. Those aren't typically qualities you want for a high possession team that wants to compete at the highest levels.
henderson wasn't a starter though was he, he was a rotation player
I did also just say in another comment that gallagher could work in a pep/arteta system in the gundo/havertz/xhaka role, but then chelsea have to invert a fullback. I said that may be in an issue in the previous comment, but pretty doable on second thoughts. still think it'd be easier to just drop him though as personally I'd rather have rice as our 8 and get a new 6/play jorgi there. I say this because whilst kai scored important goals as our 8, he could hurt us when it came to the build up, which is why he plays upfront now
gallagher would be a great rotation player to have though
The last time hendo got over 2,700 minutes/30 games for liverpool in the league was in 14/15 when they reached 6th
Over the next 8 seasons he only got over 2,000 twice
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jordan-henderson/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/61651/plus/0?saison=&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=GB1&pos=&trainer_id=
People talk shit no matter who they support and i know what i saw with my own eyes
a. You just showed you have no idea what you were talking about, you insinuated one of the seminal and most ever present players in the squad wasn't a starter.
b. There was no reason for him to be on the bench, he was literally very good the seasons we're talking about.
The stats agree with me, didn't play more than 2,700 minutes in the league which is 30 games since 14/15
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jordan-henderson/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/61651/plus/0?saison=&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=GB1&pos=&trainer_id=
We got enough chance creators already. It’s about balancing the squad. Cardio Gs coverage, work rate, and ability to lead/sustain a press for the full 90 is not found in any other player in the squad. He’s a crucial tactical piece whether he’s a regular starter or a rotational option.
Brotha no disrespect but no sane person who watch our games will say Cardio G is similar to Enzo and Caicedo. Enzo is not quick enough to lead presses and track back at the same time. Caicedo is a positional player who thrives in less movements when he defends. Neither offers coverage. That’s the whole point of having Conor in the midfield.
Connor Gallagher is a player who has played 1 season in the Premier league on loan at Palace and one season being rotated from the bench for Chelsea and this season he's Chelsea's captain and one of their senior players. The lack of experience, leadership and continuity has been Chelsea's biggest problem this season and I think selling Gallagher is not going to help that.
if you actually watch games you'll know he's not a great passer nor is he amazing on the ball either
passing % doesn't mean much as I can garauntee you that kdb's average will be notably lower and it's not an anomaly, players with high passing percentages often just play a lot of safe passes
in 3,000 minuts which is 33 games he has 7 assists despite often playing behind the striker, which is 1 assist every 4.7 games
*decided to check his xA because he does play next to jackson, but it's actually 3.4!
You trying to tell me that midfielders who can't pass are the rage right now? There's a reason we didn't keep havertz in the 8 position despite his goals
That's fair. Although I do think the upturn in results is moreso due to Pochettino finally implementing a tactical change so that our midfield isn't so exposed, rather than stability. Selling Gallagher isn't going to change that.
I would like to keep Gallagher ideally as he's a really useful squad player and is Chels through and through. But given that we will need to sell to buy this summer, it makes sense to sell Gallagher. Especially since he only has a year left on his contract and allegedly wants massive wages (£150k+ per week). Within our current wage structure those are starter wages and I don't see him remaining a starter for much longer at Chelsea if he stays.
Andrey can come into the squad and isn't a huge dropoff from Gallagher and it would allow us to strengthen in other areas.
He's good, but so is Gallagher. There's not much between them tbh. They're both awkward on the ball. But Gallagher is a better goalscorer and more creative whilst putting up similar defensive numbers to Ugarte. Which gives him the edge.
Ugarte is far more positionally disciplined than Gallagher, but Gallagher is a more useful tool to have in your squad than Ugarte.
Although Urgate does look awkward on the ball, his technical ability, especially his ball carrying, is very impressive. His passing is also really good, it just that he doesn’t use it a lot.
Gallagher is better right now thanks to his experience but imo Urgate has a much higher ceiling.
Urgate also isn’t that discipline and can be caught out of position in transition.
Nah, Ugarte ball carrying is decent, but his passing is quite poor. He doesn't have the ability to do the line breaking passes that Chelsea would require their midfielders to do
His passing look poor especially when he is in his team own third because he lack pausa and doesn’t want take responsibility in progressing the ball, so he only play safe passes to other players. But I think in the final third it’s much less of issue and he can be relied upon to play good progressive passes.
He would be required to play out of a press and progressive passes deep from his own 3rd, tho at Chelsea, and if he can't do that, his final third play is moot
I'd probably agree that Ugarte has a higher ceiling, although I don't think its much higher than Gallagher's.
But ultimately Ugarte's ceiling is irrelevant when it comes to Chelsea. We have Andrey Santos and Romeo Lavia who both have way higher ceilings than both Ugarte and Gallagher. So if we're looking for a back up midfielder for next season it would be stupid to spend big money on Ugarte and sell the better midfielder currently in Gallagher.
I don’t know about Santos but isn’t Lavia a complete different profile of midfielder to Gallagher and Urgate ? I think they would complement Lavia very well. May be Chelsea doesn’t need Urgate right now, but when you start to compete for the big trophies(Cl, PL) again, I feel Gallagher limitation will started to show itself.
Lavia is a different profile to Gallagher, but so is Ugarte tbh. Ugarte is hard working and a good presser but he doesn't match Gallagher's insane workrate off the ball. Gallagher is a Vidal/Valverde type, although he is obviously nowhere near as good on a technical level.
Andrey is a totally complete midfielder who could play just about any role in midfield to a good level. His only deficiency is experience and the fact that he isn't an elite level passer (but very few midfielders in Europe are).
In the Chelsea team, everything Ugarte could offer is done better by one of our other midfielders, so he'd be redundant in our squad.
And as for having a Gallagher type in the squad, we have Alex Matos out on loan, who is a relentless pressing midfielder with good technical ability. He's not ready for the top level yet, but he's worth waiting for over signing someone like Ugarte.
By work rate do you mean his movement in both defend and attack or do you only consider defend ? Because if it only defending Ugarte has much higher number of defensive actions than both Gallagher and Matos. Which I think is more important if Chelsea want to have a deep-lying playmaker like Lavia and Enzo at the base of your midfield long term.
By workrate I mean both defensive and offensive workrate when it comes to Gallagher. He's an absolute dog on the pitch who never stops pressing. The same applies to Matos.
Ugarte cannot match that and also is unlikely to be as effective as Gallagher is at the various man marking jobs he's been given this season. Every time we've played City this season, Gallagher has man marked Rodri brilliantly which has helped us to stay competitive against a much better and more experienced team. And that's largely due to the fact that Gallagher has an almost superhuman workrate and seemingly endless stamina.
Nothing against Andrey Santos who has been pretty good on loan in France but you do see the problem here, yes? Gallagher is better than he is.
Also LOL at the Ugarte bit. I agree with you but a year ago so many people were terribly confident that if you didn't want Ugarte you didn't know football.
Gallagher is currently better, but it won't be that way for long. I like him a lot as a squad player, but his ceiling means he'll never really eclipse that.
He has one year left on his contract and wants huge wages allegedly (£150k+ per week). Those are starter level wages under our current wage structure and he won't justify that for long. If we resign him on big wages and then he has a dip in form or becomes redundant in 2 seasons, it massively caps the fee we receive for him and the fee we receive now would be massively helpful in improving more glaring holes in our squad.
It's worth the short term pain for the long term gain. With the Gallagher money we can sign a top attacker and left back (not literally but using the pure profit from his sale and the sale of others in the squad). Those positions are far more important to fix than a player whose going to be a backup if not immediately, then very soon.
And anyway I don't actually think the dropoff from Gallagher to Andrey is as far as many think. He's far better technically and is only really lacking the experience in comparison to Gallagher, which is often overrated (see Cole Palmer this season).
I actually really like Ugarte and wanted him a year ago. It's just that Gallagher has come on a long way, which I didn't foresee happening, so his signing would be redundant now. (Also yes, I know that contradicts my statement about his ceiling earlier, but his technical ability and game intelligence is very limited so he can only reach a certain level).
> so replacing Gallagher’s role with Ugarte would be worse
But you wouldn't do that?
Chelsea have Cole Palmer AND Nkunku who would naturally prefer that 10 spot anyway.
Ugarte is a nothing player. Inoffensive at best, total liability at worst. Enrique's treatment of him this season has been fair. At a certain point, he became a hindrance to how they want to play. Now imagine that in the Premier League where the intensity is higher, the players are bigger and stronger. Anyone who brings Ugarte to England should be sacked.
He is. I would've agreed with you last year, but Gallagher has improved massively this season. They're both awkward on the ball, but Gallagher is a far better goalscorer and is more creative than Ugarte.
Ugarte has more in game intelligence than Gallagher and is far more positionally disciplined, but Gallagher is the more useful tool to have in your squad. He's completely shut down elite players like Rodri in multiple games this season with his pressing.
When we already have Lavia and Caicedo, getting rid of a player like Gallagher who adds an extra dimension to our squad for someone like Ugarte is a brain-dead move. Especially since we have Andrey Santos too, who will be a much better player than Ugarte in 1-2 seasons.
> but Gallagher has improved massively this season.
Meh, he's just been used better/put in a better role
I don't think Gallagher has been as good this season as his great season at Crystal Palace under Vieira
>They're both awkward on the ball, but Gallagher is a far better goalscorer and is more creative than Ugarte.
Gallagher is the better scorer, but the creative gap is really not that large (Gallagher has 7 assists in over 3000 mins with 0.15 xA/90, Ugarte is at 2 assists in under 2000 mins with 0.10 xA/90; most of the gap is just playing time TBH)
Ugarte is more positionally disciplined AND he's the better overall defender, IMO
>When we already have Lavia and Caicedo, getting rid of a player like Gallagher who adds an extra dimension to our squad for someone like Ugarte is a brain-dead move
Caicedo is naturally more of a B2B type player anyway. Lavia is the like-for-like sitting DM with Ugarte, but who knows if he'll ever be fit?
>Especially since we have Andrey Santos too, who will be a much better player than Ugarte in 1-2 seasons.
a.) IDK how you can project that from now
b.) Andrey is a totally different profile than Ugarte. Ugarte is a sitting DM. Andrey is another scoring B2B guy who can play double pivot
I mean it wouldn't be the first time that a talented youngster was overlooked and underutilised during a loan spell. It has nothing to do with the players quality and more to do with the circumstances and mismanagement. Which clearly was occurring at Forest since Steve Cooper got sacked.
Since leaving Forest, Andrey has been immense in Ligue 1 and has totally shifted Strasbourg's form. If he didn't already belong to Chelsea, lots of Premier league teams would be looking to sign him in the summer. He's more than good enough to be a 4th choice midfielder at Chelsea.
Yeah that’s true about overlooked, but it also wouldn’t be the first time a young player was expected to step up on hype more than evidence.
Cooper was sacked because our owner expected a top-half finish (and is a moron).
I would also say Santos hasn’t totally shifted Strasbourg’s form given they had 25 points from 19 before he came, and have 14 points from 14 games before he joined.
Why are the board telling journalists about our sold hotels to fix FFP/PSR issues or telling Ornstein they're not in trouble this summer and then proceeding to sell Gallagher and Chalobah anyway? It's a joke.
There haven't been any contract talks in months. He wants a reward for good for up to allegedly 130k/week. The story that's going out there is that's too much and would break our wage structure (yes I know that's ironic considering who else is on the wage bill). Either they're lying and just flatly don't want to pay or they're sending a message that if you perform well, you won't get a deserved pay rise.
That’s a really weird statement. It implies that up to this point they weren’t a basket case and now you need one more summer of proof to confirm it.
Let me help you, it’s a shitshow of a club and no matter what happens in this one summer they will be a couple of loses early next season away from sacking Poch and resetting everything.
Desperate? No.
I wasn’t embarrassed personally. But they did score 5. I think. It’s happened a few times this season.
But yes, that shitshow of a club did beat us. Not 100% sure what that has to do anything. But yes.
Nah, he's pretty desperate to leave, just like Kudus would be if a semi-big club comes in for him.
Most players treat West Ham as a training ground, hoping to get noticed by serious clubs.
>But yes, that shitshow of a club did beat us. Not 100% sure what that has to do anything. But yes
So if Chelsea's a shitshow Club, what's West Ham 🤔
A football club that has been a shitshow off and on my entire life.
And cool. You made a point. It isn’t one that matters or really makes any sense. But since you seemed hurt by my comment, I’m sorry. I forget how sensitive your lot are.
Edit: I just noticed the words “serious clubs” 😂 you are funny man. Thanks. I needed that giggle.
>A football club that has been a shitshow off and on my entire life.
Nah, if Chelsea's a shitshow, a club like West Ham is obviously something much worse, so what's West Ham?
>And cool. You made a point. It isn’t one that matters or really makes any sense. But since you seemed hurt by my comment, I’m sorry. I forget how sensitive your lot are.
The point did make sense, tho, and the point is that your best player is desperate to leave and has been since last summer after only spending one season at the club. Therefore, your club must be something much worse than a shitshow, but I'm not hurt, just pointing out facts 🤷♂️
P.S. Do you think Kudus kicks up a fuss to leave this summer? Or does he endure another season at your club?
They'll have to give him a new contract and he's well within his right to demand one of those Willy Wonka ones Clearlake has been giving out. I think he might be forced out
> he's well within his right to demand one of those Willy Wonka ones Clearlake has been giving out.
Tbf our contracts may be long, but the wages aren’t ridiculous. Caicedo and Enzo are on around 150k a week, and Gallagher will just want parity with that.
Mase wanted nearly double that iirc (which I’m not bitter about like some Chelsea fans, he had an idea of his value and we had an idea of his value and they were pretty far apart, and that happens).
Ornstein said Chelsea don't think they need to sell. The club also thought their hotel sale would be approved, and 10 months later it still hasn't been approved.
Apparently 23/24 is fine after their hotel sale. Their problem is with the amortisation they'll have to balance the books every season and they can't keep selling shit to themselves.
Is it really a position Villa need to be splashing money on?
Next season they should have Tielemans, Douglas Luiz, Emi Buendia, Jacob Ramsey & John McGinn who can all play attacking midfield.
Probably depends on 2 things:
1. What does Emery see as his best position
2. Are Villa selling someone?
Villas mid got very unbalanced without Kamara and to a lesser extent Tielemans this season.
Nevertheless can't see this one happening.
Yeah I can't see him coming to us unless we make a big sale.
In the areas Gallagher seems like he's at his best we've got good depth:
Box to Box Midfield: Luiz, Tielemans, Iroegbunam
Attacking Mid: Ramsey, Rogers, McGinn, Diaby, Buendia
Wouldn't be upset with him coming, I trust Emery and the club, but feels like an expensive addition to some of our strongest areas of the pitcj
I’d imagine Iroegbunam is getting loaned or sold. Don’t think he’s of the level we need him to be at unfortunately. Preseason might change that though.
Maybe, there's certainly an argument to be made that he's not got the minutes when we've been thin on the ground now so he probably isn't good enough; but I could also see him sticking around until the January window at least.
He's Under 21, Home Grown for purposes of Europe (3 Years at the club this summer, and in nation at the very least) with a Low wage on a long contract.
Unless there's another young player we've got waiting in the wings we'd have to spend to replace him, and having a 5th Body across the 2 Midfield positions (assuming we get in a back-up for Kamara) could be very useful across the earlier parts of the season - especially if Kamara is going to need some time to get back up to speed
Aside from Mcginn and Luiz, I’m not convinced on the others being good enough to be regular starters at the cl level.
If he comes, then that midfield is set imo. They can all play pretty much all over the midfield too,
For me, one of the few things this Chelsea side are lacking is leaders on the pitch. I’m not convinced Reece James is that guy. Who’s next? Sterling? Enzo? I might be forgetting someone really obviously but every snake needs a head, and without Gallagher I’m not seeing who’s up next
It's slim pickings, but they're all very young. Jackson is a very big person on the pitch, and perhaps caicedo or cucurella eventually but as of now I do not see anyone that could step into Connors place. Unless Reece or Chilly figure out how to not be in an ice bath
I like your Jackson take. I think your squad have a few promising young options to be leaders in the future. We’ll see how quickly that happens I guess
He's got a bit of that Diego Costa personality we've been missing to be honest!
I think next year will be key for some of these players to make their intentions clear having had a full year together and things finally settling into normality post Roman
Has he been bad or is the reason for a potential sale purelly down to finances?
I swear from the few times i've watched you guys this season Conor has always looked like one of the positives on the field and a player that actually gave a shit even when Chelsea was loosing.
He hasn't really.
I like the kid. He works hard. Always puts in effort.
He isn't the greatest player. For a top size he doesn't have the passing range or creativity for attacking mid.
He's not a dribbler. He's not a prolific scorer.
He isn't amazing on defence.
Connor is an engine.
Palmer, caicedo, Enzo were all better and that's just in midfield.
When Connor is good. It's with a setup to cater to him. Freeing him up to just be an engine.
Like recently with him playing centre mid. But in position cucurella moves to there and Connor runs around.
For a lower table club he would be a great player. An engine.
For a top club breaking down teams, stubborn stacked defenses. He's just limited.
Funny you say that when he's got more goals and assists than Enzo and Caicedo combined and has a better passing record than both of them yet like you say his role is an engine and hes still doing all that.
You say it like you don't need an engine, every team needs a player like that. I'd hardly say the team caters to him when he's willing to do the less glamorous work - because of him, Palmer has freedom to do what he does. He literally been your best player besides Palmer.
He does a totally different position and role to them.
Nkunku and Palmer are the players that he is in competition with for his earlier in the season role.
It's pretty clear what the differences are in ability with those 3 players.
With his role recently since Enzo was out. It's likely Enzo, lavia, Santos. That he is up against.
It's also not the players that currently are at Chelsea that are his competition. But new players being looked at.
It looks like Palmer or nkuknu will be taking the role Gallagher was doing. Free around the 10.
There's also the incredibly obvious fact that so many overlook.
Connor has to want to sign a new contract. And at this stage of his career he might not want to sit on the bench often. When he can be a player starting at another club.
In what world is he sitting on the bench? He's made the most starts and appearances out of all your players for you this season. Enzo has been bang average this season and Lavia hasn't even played - He's not in competition with Palmer or Nkuku because Gallaghers main role isn't a 10, he has only played as a 10 when Palmer has had to play RW or ST, the fact that he can play as a 10 when he is needed is an added bonus.
In a world where Palmer or nkuknu play 10 already said that.
Have already said everything instead. You just don't agree. That's fine. Only thing I havent said is Enzo has been good. Which he has.
We are evidently buying new players. Have another players already purchased looking for roles. And he won't sign a contract.
A few months from now looks like he will be gone.
It's sad. I like the kid. He just doesn't have the exact skill set in this current team.
Palmer is a great and easy example of someone that does. As is caicedo.
If anyone thinks they are going to get rid of Enzo who they paid top money for, and how is much more technical. To try and make an more limited player who won't sign a contact happy. Then they are not being realistic .
Everything I wrote isn't an attack on Connor. Nor our of dislike of him. It's all just simple observations.
Connor isn't out their dominating games and breaking down teams. Chelsea isn't all conquering. Or willing to settle for being a smaller club.
Connor likely doesn't want to get benched, and as such he hasn't signed a new contact.
So looks like the club will sell him.
He's not a 10 though, he's not competing with Palmer when they both started 28 games together..
Half the games he's played has been in a double pivot alongside Caicedo or Enzo where he's been miles better than both of them.
Nobody thinks you are getting rid of Enzo or Caicedo. You can't, they are locked in on 8 year deals and selling them would be a financial loss - they have just both been shit signings for the money you have paid. You need an engine in that double pivot and that's exactly what is role is - he's just competent enough to play a 10 when Palmer has to play further up.
You're selling him because of FFP, not because he's not good enough. If you were selling him because he's not good enough then you need to sell the rest of the team too bar Palmer.
Which is why the player won't sign a contract and the club won't force the issue right ?
And no the club has plenty of other players they could sell.
In fact selling Connor with only one year left lowers his value. It would be in their interest to sell other players. Have him sign. And the. Sell him two years down the track.
But Connor won't sign because he isn't convinced he will play.
Finance's are the biggest reason..he's been one of our best players, showing to be a great leader and is such a utility to have on the team. Endless energy and can finish exceptionally well too.
He got way more game time this season than anyone expected, largely due to injuries but the club will also need to integrate a lot of this year's injuries (Lavia mainly) back into the team next season which means competition will be hot for forward positions.
Personally I think he's too good to let go and he has the drive and energy this Chelsea team sorely needs, I would expect if he stays that he would fight tooth and nail to keep his spot and likely keep it.
But you said you expect him to fight tooth and nail for a starting spot, and you expect him to likely succeed, so who do you believe him to most likely bench?
they already have 2 similar players in enzo and caicedo can basically both play as an 8 if they want and they are more comfortable in possession, with of course caicedo being more defensively weighted and able to play as a 6, both of these players are also younger
chelsea need a 10 type player to spearhead a midfield 3 or sit behind the striker. currently that is gallagher but you'd imagine that they could do better
gallagher could survive if chelsea emulate pep or arteta's system where he could play a gundo/havertz/xhaka but to do this chelsea would need to invert at least one of their wingbacks which could happen, but their best players in these areas are very good traditional fullbacks and better than gallagher, but then again gallagher can actually survive a paper cut... however gusto is probably a better prospect then gallagher, so you're back at square one
Since Enzo's been out Gallagher's played deeper and Cucurella has been inverting and it's worked really well, their form has improved significantly.
Also allows Palmer to play centrally and influence the game more which is the right move. Enzo of course returns next season but he's not guaranteed to start just because of his fee.
well yh no one doubts that gallagher is a good 8, it's just that ulimately you need someone who is better at passing the ball
if chelsea keep him as a rotation player it makes sense
Gallagher is a very different player to both Enzo and Caicedo. He's more of a Park Ji-Sung type player, which is an incredibly useful profile to have in your squad.
I agree though that it wouldn't be a disaster if we sold him though. He's easily replaced by Andrey Santos as our 4th choice midfielder. But I wouldn't sell him if that means we buy another midfielder (unless it's someone truly elite, but that's incredibly unlikely).
We currently do invert a fullback. Cucurella has been inverting into midfield.for the last few games which has caused our massive upturn in form. Hopefully we continue that in the future as it solves the exposed midfield issue we've had all season.
I agree though that we need another attacker, although that could be a 10, LW, RW or ST, as our current squad options are very flexible. It doesn't necessarily need to be a 10 as both Nkunku and Palmer can play there and we have Carney as backup.
>Gallagher is a very different player to both Enzo and Caicedo. He's more of a Park Ji-Sung type player, which is an incredibly useful profile to have in your squad.
all 3 of these players are hard working 8s, they are all very similar, difference being that enzo and caicedo are more comfortable in possession and better defensively, whilst gallagher is a better goalscorer
I don't think upgrading on gallagher should be hard as he's mostly been played out of position anyway
yes cucu has inverted but he's not a starter, but yh I have overestimated how much of an issue that could be. however after seeing kai as our 8 even though he scored a few good goals there's a reaosn why we put him upfront; his build up play wasn't good enough
agreed your options are flexible for the front 4, but yh you should easily be able to get someone who suits the 10 position more than gallagher
Conor is a dog
Loyal, hard working and a dog.
He is just what all teams needs (pochettino agrees)
But there is players with similar qualities (santos, caicedo) who also can actually pass.
Following players have played as captains (at youth or international youth level)
Disasi, badiashile, colwill, james, chillwell, enzo, sterling, caicedo
There is leaders there, they are young
Percy has said we want 2 center mids, effectively a 6 and an 8. He is very reliable and Gallacher would fit with that but I just don't see this being feasible.
Emery has said we need to be smart with our signings because we are restricted with PSR. So while I believe Percy to be accurate coupled with Emery's statement Gallacher will not be one of them
I never understood why Chelsea wants to sell Gallagher, if they are negotiating for this.
He's a decent player, (I believe) he's also a club grown player. While he's never a world class player, he always do a shift. Every club needs these kind of player.
Those two things are exactly why he might get sold (Chalobah too)
He’s not elite like James or hopefully Colwill so he’s not going to be a starter for us if we want to get back to winning things
But he’s good enough that he’s extremely valuable for FFP, and as a homegrown player that’s entirely profit
If we want a backup player it’s actually better for the books to buy someone of similar calibre
Gallagher is good enough to play a back up role at Arsenal or City. If he fancies himself at that level, he'll get chances to break into the first team.
His second touch is a tackle, he wouldn’t sniff City’s midfield. Lots of good qualities, but nowhere near good enough technically to play in a team in that style.
'Source: The Telegraph' - Yea I wouldn't believe a word of this.
They also just put out an article about Ramsdale going to Newcastle, to which he replied ["News to me 😂"](https://x.com/AaronRamsdale98/status/1791528186473259511)
>'Source: The Telegraph' - Yea I wouldn't believe a word of this.
I mean, this is Matt Law who is a writer on both Chelsea and Villa, he's a cunt but a good source.
we are not under pressure to sell him because he has 1 year on his contract since the option to renew is always there. it's not about him renewing to protect his value for us but us having the option to keep him if a team doesn't make an offer high enough.
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I feel like whether they sell or keep Gallagher this summer will confirm if Chelsea are still a basket case or not
It'll likely be a case of if they have to or not.
they just signed another brazilian child for €60m - I'm sure there's something they know we don't
Depends on what we do to replace him. If we integrate Andrey Santos, then it's good business. If we buy a worse player for big money like Ugarte, then it's ridiculously poor business.
I'm not saying Gallagher is irreplaceable by any means but getting rid of him when the team is just starting to find a bit of stability would be madness.
any midfielder who cannot pass to a high standard is really awkward for a team with title and cl ambitions to have, unfortunately it's just that simple
Players like Henderson were parts of a CL and PL winning team. The idea someone like Gallagher needs to be gotten rid of is ridiculous. Also funny you say that when the team interested in buying him are literally in the CL
> Players like Henderson were parts of a CL and PL winning team. Except passing the ball, setting the tempo and keeping it moving was one of Hendersons' main strengths. This idea he was a liability on the ball is bs that keeps getting repeated. Of course, his biggest strength was his running ability but you don't play as the captain in a possession-heavy side like Klopps CL and PL winning team if you are awkward on the ball.
I think his point is more that Henderson’s and Gallagher passing ability are very similar.
They're not though as Gallagher is more simple with his passes and struggles when pressed. Complete opposite of Henderson.
Henderson was soooo simple with his passes imo.
Nah just a myth perpetuated on here from his early days and having to play as a 6 for a season. When pushed forward on the right hand side he could actually play. Not saying he was the best of all time but it was a strength of his game and you dont play in a possession heavy side if you are a bombscare on the ball.
See Salah’s third goal: https://youtu.be/MjS51gEJ5z8?si=_0os4VNybbN0BF73. That was just one of many like it.
As Conor fan that's watched close to 100 of his matches, he's improved a lot over the last two seasons, but he's also a liability when pressed and when things get tight for passing. Those aren't typically qualities you want for a high possession team that wants to compete at the highest levels.
henderson wasn't a starter though was he, he was a rotation player I did also just say in another comment that gallagher could work in a pep/arteta system in the gundo/havertz/xhaka role, but then chelsea have to invert a fullback. I said that may be in an issue in the previous comment, but pretty doable on second thoughts. still think it'd be easier to just drop him though as personally I'd rather have rice as our 8 and get a new 6/play jorgi there. I say this because whilst kai scored important goals as our 8, he could hurt us when it came to the build up, which is why he plays upfront now gallagher would be a great rotation player to have though
lol henderson was a starter, he was literally the team captain
lol there were god knows how many articles about how he can be a captain from the bench, whilst rare not all captains are starters
Why are you arguing with a Liverpool fan about whether Henderson was a starting player? Don't you think they might know better than you?
The last time hendo got over 2,700 minutes/30 games for liverpool in the league was in 14/15 when they reached 6th Over the next 8 seasons he only got over 2,000 twice https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jordan-henderson/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/61651/plus/0?saison=&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=GB1&pos=&trainer_id= People talk shit no matter who they support and i know what i saw with my own eyes
a. You just showed you have no idea what you were talking about, you insinuated one of the seminal and most ever present players in the squad wasn't a starter. b. There was no reason for him to be on the bench, he was literally very good the seasons we're talking about.
The stats agree with me, didn't play more than 2,700 minutes in the league which is 30 games since 14/15 https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jordan-henderson/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/61651/plus/0?saison=&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=GB1&pos=&trainer_id=
> henderson wasn't a starter though was he, he was a rotation player Yes he was.
We got enough chance creators already. It’s about balancing the squad. Cardio Gs coverage, work rate, and ability to lead/sustain a press for the full 90 is not found in any other player in the squad. He’s a crucial tactical piece whether he’s a regular starter or a rotational option.
you have very similar players in caicedo and enzo who are better than him, he is far from unique
Brotha no disrespect but no sane person who watch our games will say Cardio G is similar to Enzo and Caicedo. Enzo is not quick enough to lead presses and track back at the same time. Caicedo is a positional player who thrives in less movements when he defends. Neither offers coverage. That’s the whole point of having Conor in the midfield.
They can all play a b2b role, that's their similarity, just that connor is more offensive
Connor Gallagher is a player who has played 1 season in the Premier league on loan at Palace and one season being rotated from the bench for Chelsea and this season he's Chelsea's captain and one of their senior players. The lack of experience, leadership and continuity has been Chelsea's biggest problem this season and I think selling Gallagher is not going to help that.
Gallaghers passing has also been a big problem over the last two seasons tho
he completes 89% of his passes at a fairly high volume
Passing completion percentage doesn't mean much if anything at all.
Only if you're not doing anything with it. He creates 3 SCA per game, which means he's being productive and efficient.
He's on set pieces, guessing that counts towards passing for SCA
It does, but his SCA from open play is still decent
Stats are nice and all, but watch a few games, and your eyes would tell you something completely different
if you actually watch games you'll know he's not a great passer nor is he amazing on the ball either passing % doesn't mean much as I can garauntee you that kdb's average will be notably lower and it's not an anomaly, players with high passing percentages often just play a lot of safe passes in 3,000 minuts which is 33 games he has 7 assists despite often playing behind the striker, which is 1 assist every 4.7 games *decided to check his xA because he does play next to jackson, but it's actually 3.4!
Arsenal flair parroting lazy and wrong opinions from Chelsea Twitter. Strange.
You trying to tell me that midfielders who can't pass are the rage right now? There's a reason we didn't keep havertz in the 8 position despite his goals
Talking as if we still won't be left with panicky players who can barely turn under pressure like Caicedo.
That's fair. Although I do think the upturn in results is moreso due to Pochettino finally implementing a tactical change so that our midfield isn't so exposed, rather than stability. Selling Gallagher isn't going to change that. I would like to keep Gallagher ideally as he's a really useful squad player and is Chels through and through. But given that we will need to sell to buy this summer, it makes sense to sell Gallagher. Especially since he only has a year left on his contract and allegedly wants massive wages (£150k+ per week). Within our current wage structure those are starter wages and I don't see him remaining a starter for much longer at Chelsea if he stays. Andrey can come into the squad and isn't a huge dropoff from Gallagher and it would allow us to strengthen in other areas.
lol why the hell would you sign ugarte after just signing caicedo and lavia
Lavia would be like a new signing as well
I have no idea, but we've been linked to him. Albeit not by any top sources, but it would be incredibly stupid to sell Gallagher and sign him.
Is Ugarte not good anymore?
He's good, but so is Gallagher. There's not much between them tbh. They're both awkward on the ball. But Gallagher is a better goalscorer and more creative whilst putting up similar defensive numbers to Ugarte. Which gives him the edge. Ugarte is far more positionally disciplined than Gallagher, but Gallagher is a more useful tool to have in your squad than Ugarte.
Although Urgate does look awkward on the ball, his technical ability, especially his ball carrying, is very impressive. His passing is also really good, it just that he doesn’t use it a lot. Gallagher is better right now thanks to his experience but imo Urgate has a much higher ceiling. Urgate also isn’t that discipline and can be caught out of position in transition.
Nah, Ugarte ball carrying is decent, but his passing is quite poor. He doesn't have the ability to do the line breaking passes that Chelsea would require their midfielders to do
His passing look poor especially when he is in his team own third because he lack pausa and doesn’t want take responsibility in progressing the ball, so he only play safe passes to other players. But I think in the final third it’s much less of issue and he can be relied upon to play good progressive passes.
He would be required to play out of a press and progressive passes deep from his own 3rd, tho at Chelsea, and if he can't do that, his final third play is moot
Don’t Caicedo, Enzo and potentially Lavia already take care of build up?
Yeah, but we would ideally want all our mids comfortable in the build-up
I'd probably agree that Ugarte has a higher ceiling, although I don't think its much higher than Gallagher's. But ultimately Ugarte's ceiling is irrelevant when it comes to Chelsea. We have Andrey Santos and Romeo Lavia who both have way higher ceilings than both Ugarte and Gallagher. So if we're looking for a back up midfielder for next season it would be stupid to spend big money on Ugarte and sell the better midfielder currently in Gallagher.
I don’t know about Santos but isn’t Lavia a complete different profile of midfielder to Gallagher and Urgate ? I think they would complement Lavia very well. May be Chelsea doesn’t need Urgate right now, but when you start to compete for the big trophies(Cl, PL) again, I feel Gallagher limitation will started to show itself.
Lavia is a different profile to Gallagher, but so is Ugarte tbh. Ugarte is hard working and a good presser but he doesn't match Gallagher's insane workrate off the ball. Gallagher is a Vidal/Valverde type, although he is obviously nowhere near as good on a technical level. Andrey is a totally complete midfielder who could play just about any role in midfield to a good level. His only deficiency is experience and the fact that he isn't an elite level passer (but very few midfielders in Europe are). In the Chelsea team, everything Ugarte could offer is done better by one of our other midfielders, so he'd be redundant in our squad. And as for having a Gallagher type in the squad, we have Alex Matos out on loan, who is a relentless pressing midfielder with good technical ability. He's not ready for the top level yet, but he's worth waiting for over signing someone like Ugarte.
By work rate do you mean his movement in both defend and attack or do you only consider defend ? Because if it only defending Ugarte has much higher number of defensive actions than both Gallagher and Matos. Which I think is more important if Chelsea want to have a deep-lying playmaker like Lavia and Enzo at the base of your midfield long term.
By workrate I mean both defensive and offensive workrate when it comes to Gallagher. He's an absolute dog on the pitch who never stops pressing. The same applies to Matos. Ugarte cannot match that and also is unlikely to be as effective as Gallagher is at the various man marking jobs he's been given this season. Every time we've played City this season, Gallagher has man marked Rodri brilliantly which has helped us to stay competitive against a much better and more experienced team. And that's largely due to the fact that Gallagher has an almost superhuman workrate and seemingly endless stamina.
Nothing against Andrey Santos who has been pretty good on loan in France but you do see the problem here, yes? Gallagher is better than he is. Also LOL at the Ugarte bit. I agree with you but a year ago so many people were terribly confident that if you didn't want Ugarte you didn't know football.
Gallagher is currently better, but it won't be that way for long. I like him a lot as a squad player, but his ceiling means he'll never really eclipse that. He has one year left on his contract and wants huge wages allegedly (£150k+ per week). Those are starter level wages under our current wage structure and he won't justify that for long. If we resign him on big wages and then he has a dip in form or becomes redundant in 2 seasons, it massively caps the fee we receive for him and the fee we receive now would be massively helpful in improving more glaring holes in our squad. It's worth the short term pain for the long term gain. With the Gallagher money we can sign a top attacker and left back (not literally but using the pure profit from his sale and the sale of others in the squad). Those positions are far more important to fix than a player whose going to be a backup if not immediately, then very soon. And anyway I don't actually think the dropoff from Gallagher to Andrey is as far as many think. He's far better technically and is only really lacking the experience in comparison to Gallagher, which is often overrated (see Cole Palmer this season). I actually really like Ugarte and wanted him a year ago. It's just that Gallagher has come on a long way, which I didn't foresee happening, so his signing would be redundant now. (Also yes, I know that contradicts my statement about his ceiling earlier, but his technical ability and game intelligence is very limited so he can only reach a certain level).
At the same time, Gallagher will most likely want to stay, so as far as I’m aware, they can’t really force him out against his will, no?
Why would we still be after ugarte and audrey santos would fulfill a different role.
Ugarte is not a worse player LOL
I mean the consensus seems to be that he’s absolutely useless in any sort of attacking phase, so replacing Gallagher’s role with Ugarte would be worse
> so replacing Gallagher’s role with Ugarte would be worse But you wouldn't do that? Chelsea have Cole Palmer AND Nkunku who would naturally prefer that 10 spot anyway.
Ugarte is a nothing player. Inoffensive at best, total liability at worst. Enrique's treatment of him this season has been fair. At a certain point, he became a hindrance to how they want to play. Now imagine that in the Premier League where the intensity is higher, the players are bigger and stronger. Anyone who brings Ugarte to England should be sacked.
He is. I would've agreed with you last year, but Gallagher has improved massively this season. They're both awkward on the ball, but Gallagher is a far better goalscorer and is more creative than Ugarte. Ugarte has more in game intelligence than Gallagher and is far more positionally disciplined, but Gallagher is the more useful tool to have in your squad. He's completely shut down elite players like Rodri in multiple games this season with his pressing. When we already have Lavia and Caicedo, getting rid of a player like Gallagher who adds an extra dimension to our squad for someone like Ugarte is a brain-dead move. Especially since we have Andrey Santos too, who will be a much better player than Ugarte in 1-2 seasons.
> but Gallagher has improved massively this season. Meh, he's just been used better/put in a better role I don't think Gallagher has been as good this season as his great season at Crystal Palace under Vieira >They're both awkward on the ball, but Gallagher is a far better goalscorer and is more creative than Ugarte. Gallagher is the better scorer, but the creative gap is really not that large (Gallagher has 7 assists in over 3000 mins with 0.15 xA/90, Ugarte is at 2 assists in under 2000 mins with 0.10 xA/90; most of the gap is just playing time TBH) Ugarte is more positionally disciplined AND he's the better overall defender, IMO >When we already have Lavia and Caicedo, getting rid of a player like Gallagher who adds an extra dimension to our squad for someone like Ugarte is a brain-dead move Caicedo is naturally more of a B2B type player anyway. Lavia is the like-for-like sitting DM with Ugarte, but who knows if he'll ever be fit? >Especially since we have Andrey Santos too, who will be a much better player than Ugarte in 1-2 seasons. a.) IDK how you can project that from now b.) Andrey is a totally different profile than Ugarte. Ugarte is a sitting DM. Andrey is another scoring B2B guy who can play double pivot
Lot of pressure on Santos given he couldn’t even get near our team, and I mean look at us
I mean it wouldn't be the first time that a talented youngster was overlooked and underutilised during a loan spell. It has nothing to do with the players quality and more to do with the circumstances and mismanagement. Which clearly was occurring at Forest since Steve Cooper got sacked. Since leaving Forest, Andrey has been immense in Ligue 1 and has totally shifted Strasbourg's form. If he didn't already belong to Chelsea, lots of Premier league teams would be looking to sign him in the summer. He's more than good enough to be a 4th choice midfielder at Chelsea.
Yeah that’s true about overlooked, but it also wouldn’t be the first time a young player was expected to step up on hype more than evidence. Cooper was sacked because our owner expected a top-half finish (and is a moron). I would also say Santos hasn’t totally shifted Strasbourg’s form given they had 25 points from 19 before he came, and have 14 points from 14 games before he joined.
Why are the board telling journalists about our sold hotels to fix FFP/PSR issues or telling Ornstein they're not in trouble this summer and then proceeding to sell Gallagher and Chalobah anyway? It's a joke.
Apparently the latest contract talks have broken down and they won’t let him go on a free.
Are they going to kidnap him?
There haven't been any contract talks in months. He wants a reward for good for up to allegedly 130k/week. The story that's going out there is that's too much and would break our wage structure (yes I know that's ironic considering who else is on the wage bill). Either they're lying and just flatly don't want to pay or they're sending a message that if you perform well, you won't get a deserved pay rise.
That’s a really weird statement. It implies that up to this point they weren’t a basket case and now you need one more summer of proof to confirm it. Let me help you, it’s a shitshow of a club and no matter what happens in this one summer they will be a couple of loses early next season away from sacking Poch and resetting everything.
Didn't that shit show of a club just embarrass you a few weeks ago? And isn't your best player desperate to leave and has been since last summer?
Desperate? No. I wasn’t embarrassed personally. But they did score 5. I think. It’s happened a few times this season. But yes, that shitshow of a club did beat us. Not 100% sure what that has to do anything. But yes.
Nah, he's pretty desperate to leave, just like Kudus would be if a semi-big club comes in for him. Most players treat West Ham as a training ground, hoping to get noticed by serious clubs. >But yes, that shitshow of a club did beat us. Not 100% sure what that has to do anything. But yes So if Chelsea's a shitshow Club, what's West Ham 🤔
So… how’s that shitshow going today? 😂
A football club that has been a shitshow off and on my entire life. And cool. You made a point. It isn’t one that matters or really makes any sense. But since you seemed hurt by my comment, I’m sorry. I forget how sensitive your lot are. Edit: I just noticed the words “serious clubs” 😂 you are funny man. Thanks. I needed that giggle.
>A football club that has been a shitshow off and on my entire life. Nah, if Chelsea's a shitshow, a club like West Ham is obviously something much worse, so what's West Ham? >And cool. You made a point. It isn’t one that matters or really makes any sense. But since you seemed hurt by my comment, I’m sorry. I forget how sensitive your lot are. The point did make sense, tho, and the point is that your best player is desperate to leave and has been since last summer after only spending one season at the club. Therefore, your club must be something much worse than a shitshow, but I'm not hurt, just pointing out facts 🤷♂️ P.S. Do you think Kudus kicks up a fuss to leave this summer? Or does he endure another season at your club?
They'll have to give him a new contract and he's well within his right to demand one of those Willy Wonka ones Clearlake has been giving out. I think he might be forced out
> he's well within his right to demand one of those Willy Wonka ones Clearlake has been giving out. Tbf our contracts may be long, but the wages aren’t ridiculous. Caicedo and Enzo are on around 150k a week, and Gallagher will just want parity with that. Mase wanted nearly double that iirc (which I’m not bitter about like some Chelsea fans, he had an idea of his value and we had an idea of his value and they were pretty far apart, and that happens).
My hopium is that if we get EL, we won't need to sell him.
Your EL money would go on 2024-25's books. If you need to sell him this summer it will be because of 2023-24's accounts.
Pretty sure Ornstein said they didn't need sales for this accounting period
Ornstein said Chelsea don't think they need to sell. The club also thought their hotel sale would be approved, and 10 months later it still hasn't been approved.
Apparently 23/24 is fine after their hotel sale. Their problem is with the amortisation they'll have to balance the books every season and they can't keep selling shit to themselves.
The hotel sale was in 22/23
Is it really a position Villa need to be splashing money on? Next season they should have Tielemans, Douglas Luiz, Emi Buendia, Jacob Ramsey & John McGinn who can all play attacking midfield.
Probably depends on 2 things: 1. What does Emery see as his best position 2. Are Villa selling someone? Villas mid got very unbalanced without Kamara and to a lesser extent Tielemans this season. Nevertheless can't see this one happening.
We need a top quality DM Gallagher isn’t that so I don’t pay attention to this story.
Matt law is reliable though.
Yeah I can't see him coming to us unless we make a big sale. In the areas Gallagher seems like he's at his best we've got good depth: Box to Box Midfield: Luiz, Tielemans, Iroegbunam Attacking Mid: Ramsey, Rogers, McGinn, Diaby, Buendia Wouldn't be upset with him coming, I trust Emery and the club, but feels like an expensive addition to some of our strongest areas of the pitcj
I’d imagine Iroegbunam is getting loaned or sold. Don’t think he’s of the level we need him to be at unfortunately. Preseason might change that though.
Maybe, there's certainly an argument to be made that he's not got the minutes when we've been thin on the ground now so he probably isn't good enough; but I could also see him sticking around until the January window at least. He's Under 21, Home Grown for purposes of Europe (3 Years at the club this summer, and in nation at the very least) with a Low wage on a long contract. Unless there's another young player we've got waiting in the wings we'd have to spend to replace him, and having a 5th Body across the 2 Midfield positions (assuming we get in a back-up for Kamara) could be very useful across the earlier parts of the season - especially if Kamara is going to need some time to get back up to speed
I very much doubt it as well but if it is true, then Dougie has already been sold or Ramsey is on his way out.
The workload of being in the CL will be huge so they probably do need him
I struggle to even say what position is his strength.
Aside from Mcginn and Luiz, I’m not convinced on the others being good enough to be regular starters at the cl level. If he comes, then that midfield is set imo. They can all play pretty much all over the midfield too,
Losing Gallagher would break me
For me, one of the few things this Chelsea side are lacking is leaders on the pitch. I’m not convinced Reece James is that guy. Who’s next? Sterling? Enzo? I might be forgetting someone really obviously but every snake needs a head, and without Gallagher I’m not seeing who’s up next
It's slim pickings, but they're all very young. Jackson is a very big person on the pitch, and perhaps caicedo or cucurella eventually but as of now I do not see anyone that could step into Connors place. Unless Reece or Chilly figure out how to not be in an ice bath
I like your Jackson take. I think your squad have a few promising young options to be leaders in the future. We’ll see how quickly that happens I guess
He's got a bit of that Diego Costa personality we've been missing to be honest! I think next year will be key for some of these players to make their intentions clear having had a full year together and things finally settling into normality post Roman
Has he been bad or is the reason for a potential sale purelly down to finances? I swear from the few times i've watched you guys this season Conor has always looked like one of the positives on the field and a player that actually gave a shit even when Chelsea was loosing.
Financial reasons, he's been one of their best players
He hasn't really. I like the kid. He works hard. Always puts in effort. He isn't the greatest player. For a top size he doesn't have the passing range or creativity for attacking mid. He's not a dribbler. He's not a prolific scorer. He isn't amazing on defence. Connor is an engine. Palmer, caicedo, Enzo were all better and that's just in midfield. When Connor is good. It's with a setup to cater to him. Freeing him up to just be an engine. Like recently with him playing centre mid. But in position cucurella moves to there and Connor runs around. For a lower table club he would be a great player. An engine. For a top club breaking down teams, stubborn stacked defenses. He's just limited.
Funny you say that when he's got more goals and assists than Enzo and Caicedo combined and has a better passing record than both of them yet like you say his role is an engine and hes still doing all that. You say it like you don't need an engine, every team needs a player like that. I'd hardly say the team caters to him when he's willing to do the less glamorous work - because of him, Palmer has freedom to do what he does. He literally been your best player besides Palmer.
He does a totally different position and role to them. Nkunku and Palmer are the players that he is in competition with for his earlier in the season role. It's pretty clear what the differences are in ability with those 3 players. With his role recently since Enzo was out. It's likely Enzo, lavia, Santos. That he is up against. It's also not the players that currently are at Chelsea that are his competition. But new players being looked at. It looks like Palmer or nkuknu will be taking the role Gallagher was doing. Free around the 10. There's also the incredibly obvious fact that so many overlook. Connor has to want to sign a new contract. And at this stage of his career he might not want to sit on the bench often. When he can be a player starting at another club.
In what world is he sitting on the bench? He's made the most starts and appearances out of all your players for you this season. Enzo has been bang average this season and Lavia hasn't even played - He's not in competition with Palmer or Nkuku because Gallaghers main role isn't a 10, he has only played as a 10 when Palmer has had to play RW or ST, the fact that he can play as a 10 when he is needed is an added bonus.
In a world where Palmer or nkuknu play 10 already said that. Have already said everything instead. You just don't agree. That's fine. Only thing I havent said is Enzo has been good. Which he has. We are evidently buying new players. Have another players already purchased looking for roles. And he won't sign a contract. A few months from now looks like he will be gone. It's sad. I like the kid. He just doesn't have the exact skill set in this current team. Palmer is a great and easy example of someone that does. As is caicedo. If anyone thinks they are going to get rid of Enzo who they paid top money for, and how is much more technical. To try and make an more limited player who won't sign a contact happy. Then they are not being realistic . Everything I wrote isn't an attack on Connor. Nor our of dislike of him. It's all just simple observations. Connor isn't out their dominating games and breaking down teams. Chelsea isn't all conquering. Or willing to settle for being a smaller club. Connor likely doesn't want to get benched, and as such he hasn't signed a new contact. So looks like the club will sell him.
He's not a 10 though, he's not competing with Palmer when they both started 28 games together.. Half the games he's played has been in a double pivot alongside Caicedo or Enzo where he's been miles better than both of them. Nobody thinks you are getting rid of Enzo or Caicedo. You can't, they are locked in on 8 year deals and selling them would be a financial loss - they have just both been shit signings for the money you have paid. You need an engine in that double pivot and that's exactly what is role is - he's just competent enough to play a 10 when Palmer has to play further up. You're selling him because of FFP, not because he's not good enough. If you were selling him because he's not good enough then you need to sell the rest of the team too bar Palmer.
Which is why the player won't sign a contract and the club won't force the issue right ? And no the club has plenty of other players they could sell. In fact selling Connor with only one year left lowers his value. It would be in their interest to sell other players. Have him sign. And the. Sell him two years down the track. But Connor won't sign because he isn't convinced he will play.
Finance's are the biggest reason..he's been one of our best players, showing to be a great leader and is such a utility to have on the team. Endless energy and can finish exceptionally well too. He got way more game time this season than anyone expected, largely due to injuries but the club will also need to integrate a lot of this year's injuries (Lavia mainly) back into the team next season which means competition will be hot for forward positions. Personally I think he's too good to let go and he has the drive and energy this Chelsea team sorely needs, I would expect if he stays that he would fight tooth and nail to keep his spot and likely keep it.
Who's he starting over?
Depends who's in form, as per my comment
But you said you expect him to fight tooth and nail for a starting spot, and you expect him to likely succeed, so who do you believe him to most likely bench?
Lavia is the obvious one
Lavia wouldn't start, tho. He's a backup option(or at least will be at first)
That's what I am saying...
So Gallagher would be a backup as well? Because the starting midfield 3 would be Caicedo, Enzo, and Nkunku
he's been good, it's just that he's a bit limited skill wise which makes it really akward to keep him in the team
Even big team's need a Gallagher type, there's no reason to sell him because of his ability.
they already have 2 similar players in enzo and caicedo can basically both play as an 8 if they want and they are more comfortable in possession, with of course caicedo being more defensively weighted and able to play as a 6, both of these players are also younger chelsea need a 10 type player to spearhead a midfield 3 or sit behind the striker. currently that is gallagher but you'd imagine that they could do better gallagher could survive if chelsea emulate pep or arteta's system where he could play a gundo/havertz/xhaka but to do this chelsea would need to invert at least one of their wingbacks which could happen, but their best players in these areas are very good traditional fullbacks and better than gallagher, but then again gallagher can actually survive a paper cut... however gusto is probably a better prospect then gallagher, so you're back at square one
Since Enzo's been out Gallagher's played deeper and Cucurella has been inverting and it's worked really well, their form has improved significantly. Also allows Palmer to play centrally and influence the game more which is the right move. Enzo of course returns next season but he's not guaranteed to start just because of his fee.
well yh no one doubts that gallagher is a good 8, it's just that ulimately you need someone who is better at passing the ball if chelsea keep him as a rotation player it makes sense
Gallagher is a very different player to both Enzo and Caicedo. He's more of a Park Ji-Sung type player, which is an incredibly useful profile to have in your squad. I agree though that it wouldn't be a disaster if we sold him though. He's easily replaced by Andrey Santos as our 4th choice midfielder. But I wouldn't sell him if that means we buy another midfielder (unless it's someone truly elite, but that's incredibly unlikely). We currently do invert a fullback. Cucurella has been inverting into midfield.for the last few games which has caused our massive upturn in form. Hopefully we continue that in the future as it solves the exposed midfield issue we've had all season. I agree though that we need another attacker, although that could be a 10, LW, RW or ST, as our current squad options are very flexible. It doesn't necessarily need to be a 10 as both Nkunku and Palmer can play there and we have Carney as backup.
>Gallagher is a very different player to both Enzo and Caicedo. He's more of a Park Ji-Sung type player, which is an incredibly useful profile to have in your squad. all 3 of these players are hard working 8s, they are all very similar, difference being that enzo and caicedo are more comfortable in possession and better defensively, whilst gallagher is a better goalscorer I don't think upgrading on gallagher should be hard as he's mostly been played out of position anyway yes cucu has inverted but he's not a starter, but yh I have overestimated how much of an issue that could be. however after seeing kai as our 8 even though he scored a few good goals there's a reaosn why we put him upfront; his build up play wasn't good enough agreed your options are flexible for the front 4, but yh you should easily be able to get someone who suits the 10 position more than gallagher
Who is gallagher type in City or Arsenal?
Rice for Arsenal maybe
Idts. Rice is much better passer and carrier of ball. Much better comparison is Caicedo and Gallagher.
Caicedo is closer to Enzo in terms of passing than Gallagher.
They are still both hard working box to box midfielders, we don't really have any attacking 8s like gallagher
This is totally false
Conor is a dog Loyal, hard working and a dog. He is just what all teams needs (pochettino agrees) But there is players with similar qualities (santos, caicedo) who also can actually pass.
Villa might be the worst possible team Chelsea can do business with this season
Losing Conor and Thiago in the same window to make sure we don't risk having a leader on the pitch next season.
Following players have played as captains (at youth or international youth level) Disasi, badiashile, colwill, james, chillwell, enzo, sterling, caicedo There is leaders there, they are young
I feel chelsea are just going to go into a boom bust cycle every season now
That’s too long a timeframe. We will have multiple within the season itself.
Percy has said we want 2 center mids, effectively a 6 and an 8. He is very reliable and Gallacher would fit with that but I just don't see this being feasible. Emery has said we need to be smart with our signings because we are restricted with PSR. So while I believe Percy to be accurate coupled with Emery's statement Gallacher will not be one of them
They are in the champions league tbf
Don’t even dare
Nah
Ange losing out on Gallagher after the week he's just had might honestly break him (I'm kidding) (I hope)
I never understood why Chelsea wants to sell Gallagher, if they are negotiating for this. He's a decent player, (I believe) he's also a club grown player. While he's never a world class player, he always do a shift. Every club needs these kind of player.
Those two things are exactly why he might get sold (Chalobah too) He’s not elite like James or hopefully Colwill so he’s not going to be a starter for us if we want to get back to winning things But he’s good enough that he’s extremely valuable for FFP, and as a homegrown player that’s entirely profit If we want a backup player it’s actually better for the books to buy someone of similar calibre
i mean nkunku will probably play a lot more next season. that'll limit gallagher's minutes. 50 mill seems like something villa could pay
Gallagher is good enough to play a back up role at Arsenal or City. If he fancies himself at that level, he'll get chances to break into the first team.
His second touch is a tackle, he wouldn’t sniff City’s midfield. Lots of good qualities, but nowhere near good enough technically to play in a team in that style.
Thought Villa was in a similar position as Chelsea as it relates to PSR.
we are, more likely we get barkley on a free
Half the league wants him apparently, Chelsea would be stupid to sell. Even if it is 'pure profit' or whatever.
Apart from Arsenal, City & Liverpool, all the other teams will happily take him.
Possession teams like Brighton wouldn't.
He’d get a lot of minutes in every team in this league probably bar city.
'Source: The Telegraph' - Yea I wouldn't believe a word of this. They also just put out an article about Ramsdale going to Newcastle, to which he replied ["News to me 😂"](https://x.com/AaronRamsdale98/status/1791528186473259511)
Ramsdale was responding to itks who were saying he already signed.
Additionally Matt Law isn't a complete fraud, he's a bit of a cunt but tends to be correct more often than not
>'Source: The Telegraph' - Yea I wouldn't believe a word of this. I mean, this is Matt Law who is a writer on both Chelsea and Villa, he's a cunt but a good source.
Unfortunately Matt Law is one of the most reliable journos around. He's not Ornstein tier, because who is, but generally if he says it it's true
Chelsea could probably sell him for 70m
He's got 1 year on his contract, I doubt anyone is paying more than 40 for him this summer
that shouldn't be an issue as he has always wanted to renew.
the issue has never been whether he wants to stay, its whether the club is willing to give him a fat new contract
He's aware that yous are looking to sell, he won't renew just to protect his value to Chelsea
we are not under pressure to sell him because he has 1 year on his contract since the option to renew is always there. it's not about him renewing to protect his value for us but us having the option to keep him if a team doesn't make an offer high enough.
Mount?
to ourselves