by Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart were present at the club’s annual Christmas lunch earlier this month, when Conor Gallagher took to the stage.
Sitting on a stool next to the club’s former youth product Jody Morris, host Chris Hollins asked Gallagher what the greatest moment of his career has been to date. Without any hesitation, the midfielder replied: “Captain the team.”
The room erupted in applause and Gallagher’s name was chanted by the crowd inside the Great Hall at Stamford Bridge, just like in the home stands on Tuesday night, when the England international wore the captain’s armband again and Chelsea is the best player in the Carabao. Cup quarter-final win over Newcastle United.
Before the first game, Gallagher had won more possession in the third than any other player in seven European finals and only three players from the Championship have won more possession overall. It wasn’t hard to see why, as he flung himself across the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
If Gallagher’s appearance and the reaction he received at the annual lunch is any reminder why Boehly, Winstanley and Stewart should think twice before using the 23-year-old as their Finance Corps to card get out of jail, Tuesday night should have been provided. categorical proof that January offers must be considered for him – however long is left on his contract.
Gallagher hit the Newcastle crossbar with a beautiful curling shot and produced at least three crucial blocks in a performance that was typical of his energetic style. He kept his cool to score his penalty in the shootout.
Of Chelsea’s outfield players, only Axel Disasi had played more minutes this season, before the defender was replaced in the 78th minute, but still head coach Mauricio Pochettino could not give any guarantees that he would not be sold Gallagher – arguing that it was a decision. for the club and the player.
Gallagher will have 18 months left on his contract in the new year and Chelsea will be keen on his future, despite the player making it clear that his ambition is to stay where he calls home. Questions about whether bids would be considered in the next transfer window have not been answered and speculation has been allowed to run wild.
Pochettino faced a similar situation in 2019, when Tottenham Hotspur sold one of their best players, Mousa Dembele, to get a transfer fee for the player. Daniel Levy and Spurs may have made a profit, but the Argentinian team counted the cost.
Lewis Hall’s career at Newcastle may not be over just yet, but many of those inside the Great Hall for the annual lunch and at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night will still be wondering why he was let go.
It is a relief that Gallagher did not leave in the same summer that sources claimed his name was on a list of Chelsea players available for a move circulated around the clubs.
If West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, or even Newcastle, who were said to be interested, offered Gallagher £50 million, there could be a very real possibility that he would not have started the season at Stamford Bridge and it would not have been over. to make his appearance at the annual luncheon.
Morris still remembers a 13-year-old Gallagher from his time coaching Chelsea’s youngsters and told Boehly, Winstanley, Stewart and Co that he was not among the players he was sure were going straight to the top.
But, as Pochettino has discovered this season, Gallagher’s attitude, function and ability to learn have put him ahead of perhaps more talented players and it is also something that has earned him the affection of the supporters during a difficult period for Chelsea.
Gallagher has seen Chelsea spend more than £300 million on four younger midfielders – Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia – in the past 12 months and yet his head has never dropped or been waived. attitude.
He earned a silly red card against Brighton, but has been a generally reliable performer during a season so far mired in inconsistency for Chelsea.
Gallagher might not be a name that turns social media around and his signing of a new contract might not inspire a series of celebratory gifs of Boehly and his Chelsea co-owner, Behdad Eghbali.
But, as Tuesday night showed again, he represents the soul of the club he grew up with and that shouldn’t be cheap.
