Gabriel Agbonlahor has just delivered his verdict on Chelsea’s decision to sell Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea made several high-profile sales in the recent window, including selling Conor Gallagher to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. It brought to an end the midfielder’s 18-year association as a Blues player, where he had gone from academy prospect to first-team star.
Speaking via The Evening Standard this week, Gallagher claimed he could’ve suited Enzo Maresca’s style at Chelsea. Instead, the club decided to cash in and sell the 24-year-old England international for pure profit.
Gabriel Agbonlahor on Chelsea selling Conor Gallagher
TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor suggests that Chelsea’s decision to sell Gallagher in the summer was a logical one. While he does rate the box-to-box central midfielder as a player, he thinks his style is much more suited to Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side.
Agboblahor told talkSPORT (7:41am, 6 September): “If I am being honest, I do like Conor Gallagher, but when you looked at him for England at the Euros and watch his career, I don’t think he fits into that style of play. I don’t think he is as good on the ball. His touch isn’t as good as maybe Fernandez, Palmer.
“What he does offer you is something else – high energy, I think he will score a goal when needed. It’s not like his touch is awful, his passing is not great, but you has still got enough, but Maresca thought is this a way of just getting him out because of PSR rules. It’s all profit. If I was going to name a club that’s perfect for Conor Gallagher, it would be Atletico Madrid.”
The current Chelsea midfield
It’s interesting to look at how Chelsea’s midfield is shaping up following Gallagher’s departure.
In fairness, the Blues do still look particularly strong in the centre of the park. They’re fortunate that they can call upon the likes of Romeo Lavia, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
In addition, it’s obvious that Maresca likes to play with an attacking No.10, which has been Cole Palmer in the early weeks of the season. There’s alternative options such as Christopher Nkunku or Joao Felix, too.
The one criticism is that Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has arrived at Stamford Bridge as a like-for-like replacement for Gallagher, with both players possessing huge engines and a goalscoring threat. Based off what we’ve seen so far, Dewsbury-Hall is still some way behind Gallagher’s level.
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