Conor Gallagher wants to stay at Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino wants Gallagher to stay. The resolution, therefore, appears rather simple.
The truth is far more complicated.
Gallagher’s match-winning brace at Crystal Palace on Monday night has intensified the focus on the England international’s future.
Re-signing the 24-year-old appears a no-brainer. The supporters love him. His team-mates loves him. More pertinently, his manager loves him.
Privately, Pochettino has forcefully advanced the merits of agreeing a new contract for Gallagher with his superiors.
Conor Gallagher scored twice to help Chelsea defeat Crystal Palace on Monday night
There has been great speculation recently over whether he would stay or leave the club, but it seems he is a favourite among the fans
Mauricio Pochettino also doesn’t want Gallagher to leave the club and Mail Sport understands Gallagher does not want to leave either
That will come as no surprise. A rare bright spark in what has been a mediocre campaign.
Gallagher has captained the team regularly in the absence of injured duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell.
He’s made the most Premier League starts of any Chelsea player. He’s been the standard bearer at the club’s Cobham training ground, during a period that insiders say have fallen way short of what is expected. Pochettino’s reliance on Gallagher is clear.
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What isn’t quite so definitive is how Chelsea’s hierarchy view Gallagher’s future.
Pochettino has done what he can, but the club’s failure to assemble a contractual package that would satisfy a player of Gallagher’s standing has led to uncertainty.
Pochettino recognises the benefits: the infectious work-rate and tenacity. He also sees the intangibles: the exemplary attitude, his respectful and courteous nature.
When Gallagher arrived in the Midlands to join West Brom on loan in September 2000, he took an instant decision to relocate from London.
It was an assertive decision that impressed then manager Slaven Bilic. Loan moves often leave footballers in limbo in terms of living arrangements, but Gallagher’s decision to uproot left an indelible mark on those at the Hawthorns.
It was that commitment that endeared him to those at Crystal Palace during his impressive loan spell there during the the 2021/22 season.
‘Not a moment’s…