Chelsea have raised the asking price for stand-in captain Conor Gallagher in what has emerged as a huge blow to Tottenham Hotspur’s ambitions, according to the Express.
The above sentence is confusing on so many levels. Why do the Blues first want to sell someone they have as their stand-in captain? For someone who is not following Chelsea or Tottenham or the Premier League, all this would seem overwhelming.
To offer some context, Gallagher was on Tottenham’s radar back in the summer. He was widely expected to be a signing Ange Postecoglou wanted to make. However, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg never left the club despite links to Atletico Madrid and Juventus. This meant, Spurs could not pull of the deal with Chelsea.
For the Blues though, the situation was different. They had spent ridiculous money on Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. Ideally, those three would have started the season. Then, Lavia got injured and Gallagher was thrust into the starting XI. To be fair to him, he hasn’t looked back.
Gallagher has easily been one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers this season. The 23-year-old Englishman has outshone the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in midfield.
So, why do Chelsea not want to keep him?
Chelsea are looking to sell him, except, they don’t want to. All this has to do with the fact that Gallagher’s contract with the Blues ends at the end of the season. Despite constant dialogue, there has been no breakthrough and the player is yet to put pen to paper.
After losing Mason Mount to Manchester United in the summer, losing another academy player would be catastrophic for the Blues. Especially if he were to leave for free, Mauricio Pochettino’s team will face a lot of backlash.
Pochettino on his part has given Gallagher a lot of prominence. When regular captains Reece James and Ben Chilwell suffered long-term injuries, the former Spurs manager decided to give the 23-year-old the armband.
Even now, if Gallagher agrees to renew his contract, there is no doubt that Chelsea will want to keep him. However, if an agreement cannot be reached, there is a high chance that the club would look to sell him before the end of this month.
Should Tottenham go for him?
Chelsea were asking for £50m in the summer. They now want £60million. This is a clear indication of the Blues acknowledging the fact that his stocks have risen. It doesn’t make sense for Tottenham to pay so much money for someone who would be available for free come the summer.
The West London club are just playing hard ball here. There is no doubt that should the player fail to renew his contract by the end of this month, the Blues would be willing to sanction a cut-price exit for him. If they don’t, it’ll be a huge surprise.
If Tottenham indeed sign Gallagher, he would fit into Ange Postecoglou’s system quite seamlessly. Capable of playing in multiple roles in midfield, the Australian coach would be delighted to have his services.
The fact that Gallagher is homegrown only adds to his appeal, considering the strict squad registration rules that all clubs have. Let’s wait and see how the Chelsea midfielder’s future pans out and whether or not he becomes a Tottenham player in the coming weeks or months.
