- 24-year-old was the nervy Blues’ saviour with a late strike to beat Leeds 3-2
- But his status as an academy product means he represents pure profit for PSR
- Chelsea were gutless to play for penalties. Liverpool have a cause, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are soulless – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
When it came down to it, Chelsea’s saviour in Wednesday’s nervy FA Cup victory over Championship outfit Leeds was not one of their multimillion-pound men, of which they have plenty.
It was Conor Gallagher – the Cobham graduate, one of their own, the homegrown hero who is having a display organised for him by We Are The Shed, the fan group behind the impressive tifo on show at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. He is also, from a callous perspective, a player that represents pure profit when it comes to the Premier League’s PSR rules.
Barring a breakthrough in talks over an extension, Gallagher will have only a year left on his contract this summer, which is when Chelsea are expected to listen to offers all over again – with Tottenham known admirers of the gifted grafter who has won possession in the final third more than any other player in the Premier League this season.
West Ham are among those to have shown an interest in previous windows, yet one well-placed source has talked down the prospect of them re-entering the race.
Chelsea would much rather deal with the likes of them than commit transfer treason with Tottenham, though West Ham sense the asking fee will still be north of £45million. Not a crazy valuation by Chelsea’s standards, considering Mason Mount was sold to Manchester United for £55m rising to £60m with a year remaining and they wanted £50m for Armando Broja in January.
Conor Gallagher (right) proved the difference during Chelsea’s nervy FA Cup win versus Leeds
Mauricio Pochettino is an enormous fan of the midfielder and would be sad to see him move
The 24-year-old has impressed in an uneven season in west London for his dogged work rate
Yet Gallagher’s performances on the pitch are also impacting the wages he can command in the event of an exit, which West Ham suspect will stand at around £150,000 per week. This, the source…