Jamie Carragher cannot compute Chelsea’s willingness to sell Connor Gallagher (Picture: Getty)
Jamie Carragher believes Chelsea’s decision to sell Conor Gallagher in January highlights the ‘mess’ the club’s new owners have created.
The academy graduate’s form has been one of the few positives of a largely indifferent campaign so far.
While expensive midfield recruits Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have struggled for consistency, Gallagher’s relentless energy and commitment to the cause have been vital.
The England international’s status as a key player under Mauricio Pochettino has been further highlighted by the decision to promote him to the vice-captaincy, but his future at his boyhood club appears to be in severe doubt.
Chelsea’s need to balance the books after their unprecedented spending spree under their new owners means selling a home grown player would represent pure profit on their balance sheet.
Reports on Saturday claimed the Blues have already entered into negotiations with Tottenham, who came close to signing Gallagher in the summer window, over a potential £50million deal, much to the bewilderment of Carragher.
He wrote on X: ‘Gallagher has been Chelsea’s best player this season along with Cole Palmer, this just shows what a mess the new ownership have made at the club. Selling an academy player because it helps with FFP.’
Conor Gallagher appears set to leave Chelsea in the January transfer window (Picture: Getty)
Tottenham, for their part, are desperate for midfield reinforcements amid a mounting injury crisis.
James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur represent key absentees, while Pape Matar Sarr is set to represent Senegal at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Speaking ahead of Spurs’ clash with Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve, however, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou played down expectations ahead of the January transfer window.
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‘We are where we are. Nothing magical’s going to happen in the January window. What we need to do is just keep building,’ Postecoglou said.
‘We’ve had one window with this team to change it around, to do things differently. The fact that we’re in the position we are is a credit to the players. For all the challenges we’ve had, we just kept planning forward and that’s what we’ll do.
‘We’ll see what we can do in January but ultimately it’s about building a side that will get us to where we want to.’
MORE : Tottenham in talks to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea
MORE : Mauricio Pochettino speaks out on Chelsea transfer talks ahead of January
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