Garth Crooks was surprised by how good Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher was in his side’s 2-0 win against Fulham last night.
Conor Gallagher captained Chelsea in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell and Crooks has lauded the 23-year-old in his BBC Sport Team of the Week column.
It was only the Blues’ second win of the Premier League campaign but has helped them to climb to 11th in the table.
Despite having been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge all summer, Gallagher has been an important player for Chelsea this season.
The Englishman has started in all seven of his club’s top-flight games so far.
According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur made a bid for Gallagher in the last transfer window and Chelsea did have a valuation for him.
Garth Crooks impressed with Conor Gallagher
Crooks could not believe what he saw from Gallagher against Fulham, praising him for the maturity and energy he showed at Craven Cottage.
On the England international, the former Tottenham forward said: “Nothing prepared me for the way Gallagher performed at Craven Cottage. The newly installed Chelsea captain didn’t just cover every blade of grass but also played with a maturity that justified the role.
“Fulham’s manager Marco Silva looked dazed by the end of this encounter and had every right to be as Chelsea had just blitzed his team.”
Conor Gallagher fighting to stay at Chelsea
You have to give Gallagher a lot of credit. At one point, it looked like his Chelsea career was over.
The club were open to selling him in the summer and brought in both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
However, Gallagher has still been an ever-present under Mauricio Pochettino and it does not look like he is going to give up his spot in this Chelsea squad just like that.
When everyone is fit, we are not sure if Gallagher is still going to be a starter. But his latest display has shown that he can at least be a squad player for the Blues.
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