The way that Conor Gallagher is exiting Stamford Bridge this summer is definitely leaving a bad taste in the mouths of many Chelsea supporters.
Conor Gallagher has deep roots at Chelsea all the way back to the academy, but it’s widely reported that he’s making a permanent transfer to Spanish club Atletico Madrid this summer.
It’s been claimed by Mundo Deportivo that Gallagher’s already trained with Atletico before the official announcement. Apparently, he’s trained with his new club on Friday morning ahead of the deal being confirmed, plus he’s already been told to slow down because of his intensity.
The Blues are letting go a central midfielder that played an important role for them last season. In fact, he captained the club for large spells, plus chipped in with seven goals and nine assists in 50 games across all competitions.
Chelsea include matching clause in Conor Gallagher deal
Respected journalist Matt Law has just provided a very interesting bit of information regarding Gallagher’s imminent transfer.
Apparently, Chelsea have included a matching clause in his move, which means they’ll have the right to match any transfer in the future if Atletico try to sell him.
“Even in Conor’s deal, they’ve put in a matching clause,” Law said on the London Is Blue Podcast.
“I can’t see a scenario given what’s happened in the last few weeks where Conor’s ever going to come back to play for Chelsea under the people who are in charge now.
“But, there has been a matching clause put in his contract. So if two years down the line Atletico accept a bid from [anyone], Chelsea can match it and leave it up to Conor.”
What will the Chelsea midfield look like next season?
As mentioned above, Gallagher played 50 times in total last season and was extremely reliable for Chelsea. His summer departure definitely leaves a large void in the squad.
The Blues are in safe hands if Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez play their best football in the centre of the park. It was previously claimed by The Evening Standard that Chelsea thought a Caicedo-Fernandez pivot would dominate midfield, but that certainly wasn’t the case last year.
On top of that, the likes of Romeo Lavia and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are Chelsea midfielders that could be in for big seasons if they hit their top form.
There should be plenty of rotation due to a fixture pile up if the club does well domestically and in Europe.
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