Chelsea and England star Conor Gallagher has heavily been linked with Tottenham (Picture: Getty)
William Gallas believes Conor Gallagher is outperforming big-name signings Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo and hopes to see the midfielder remain at Chelsea beyond the end of the season.
After a string of loan spells, Gallagher has nailed down his place in Chelsea’s starting XI under Mauricio Pochettino and has been one of the club’s few shining lights this term alongside fellow England international Cole Palmer.
However, Gallagher’s future remains uncertain, with the Blues under pressure to slash their wage bill over the upcoming transfer windows in order to comply with Premier League profit and sustainability rules.
Chelsea are reportedly open to offers for the academy products such as Levi Colwill, Armando Broja, Trevoh Chalobah and Gallagher, who could all be offloaded for ‘pure profit’, which has put rival clubs on red alert.
Tottenham were credited with a strong interest in Gallagher across the January transfer window and are preparing a bid to prise the 24-year-old away from Stamford Bridge in the summer.
However, it’s understood Gallagher is determined to fight for his spot and stay put at Chelsea, the club that he joined at the age of just eight.
‘Should Chelsea sell Conor Gallagher? When you spend £100m plus on players like Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, they will have big expectations and you expect them to lead on the field. It hasn’t happened, they’re still young,’ ex-Chelsea defender Gallas told Lord Ping.
Caicedo and Fernandez completed moves to Chelsea last summer (Picture: Getty)
‘Conor Gallagher is a Chelsea boy, he did not cost the club any money and the fans love him because of his commitment on the pitch.
‘Gallagher runs a lot, you need players like him, if you compare him to Enzo and Caicedo, he is completely different.
‘Gallagher is doing more for Chelsea than the other two, if he has to leave the club, the fans will be upset but they will understand why he has to leave, because of Financial Fair Play.
‘It’s hard to understand how Chelsea have put themselves in that position, the board has made a mistake in spending so much money that they now need to rely on selling homegrown players.’
Ex-Chelsea defender Gallas hopes Gallagher stays beyond the summer (Picture: Getty)
Gallas, a two-time Premier League winner with Chelsea, believes Gallagher’s future will be in the player’s hands in the summer.
‘If I was Conor Gallagher, I would try to stay with Chelsea. In the end, it’s the decision of the player,’ the former France international added.
‘The club can’t force him to leave if he doesn’t want to. Chelsea will have to find another solution to solve the financial situation.
‘If Gallagher wants to stay at Chelsea, he should not let himself leave.’
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool, Gallagher looked to distance himself from speculation of a possible summer move.
‘Obviously there is another year and a half left of my contract and I absolutely love playing with the manager,’ the England midfielder told Sky Sports.
‘Playing almost every game has been incredible. Last season I was in and out the team and it wasn’t this enjoyable.
‘I just want to keep playing as much I can for Chelsea, keep trying to improve and try and be successful.’
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