Conor Gallagher is discussing a move to Atletico Madrid in a deal worth €40 million following weeks of speculation surrounding his future.
The Englishman was one of Chelsea’s key players last season, starting 37 league games and playing the most minutes, 3,135, of anyone in the squad. It was therefore a shock to many when Chelsea were reportedly open to listening to offers for him.
New Blues boss Enzo Maresca had told Gallagher that he would be a squad player this season, according to various reports, and the 24-year-old turned down a two-year contract, with the option of a further year, that was offered by the club.
The proposed move is an indication as to how those in charge at Chelsea see their homegrown and academy assets, seemingly wanting to nurture them to the top, then being content with selling them on to help comply with Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). As Gallagher came through the club’s academy, he will count as pure profit because he did not cost a transfer fee.
Trevoh Chalobah looks to have found himself in a similar position to Gallagher with his future at the club also uncertain. The 25-year-old centre back is another homegrown academy player who looks to be heading elsewhere having been left out of Maresca’s pre-season squad for the tour of the USA.
The current transfer strategy is a message to young players at the club that they may have to move elsewhere once they make it into the first team. As Chelsea prioritise signing promising youngsters from other clubs on eight-year contracts, the talent that has grown at the club is being left behind.
While the full story regarding Mason Mount’s departure last summer was never revealed, it was reported to be a similar situation whereby the club were keen to sell in order to be able to reinvest in the squad. Lewis Hall is another who has left Chelsea after coming through the club’s youth system to make way for young stars from Europe and South America who have arrived in recent windows.
But that investment into the team is yet to reap any real rewards. The Blues have spent more than £1bn on transfers since the BlueCo group took over the club and so far that has only resulted in a sixth-placed Premier League finish and no silverware.
With regards to the upcoming season, the impact of not having Gallagher in the team could also have an immediate negative impact. During much of the last campaign, the Englishman outshone both Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, a partnership that cost £205 million to assemble.
Claims that Gallagher couldn’t play in a possession-based system may also be false. He was a key feature of a team that averaged 58.6% possession last season and his work rate and tenacity in midfield was vital to the positive moments Chelsea did have last season.
Gallagher seems a perfect fit for Atletico Madrid and €40 million is a good deal for Chelsea, but the transfer signals an alarming trend that has emerged at the club. If youth players do not feel they can pave a way at the club, Chelsea may lose the talent at Cobham which produced legends of the club like John Terry and Terry Venables.
And with the abundance of new signings who have come through the door in the past two years yet to achieve the success Chelsea fans are used to, there is real pressure on the club to see their strategy finally start to pay off.
