We’re all aware of Conor Gallagher’s situation right now – Chelsea are likely to sell him because he has just one year left on his contract. But how did we get here? He’s a home grown player who the fans love, and who has been vitally important to the team. He wants to stay, so why hasn’t he been offered a competitive contract he will accept?
Liam Twomey’s piece today has a deep dive on it, and the conclusion, basically, is that the co-sporting directors don’t rate him:
“Chelsea’s sporting leadership and ownership have not been convinced he should be integral to their long term midfield plans,” he explains.
Strategic failures laid bare as penny pinching comes back to haunt sporting directors
This has been what we’ve struggled to get our head around all this time – if Gallagher wants to stay at Chelsea, and Chelsea don’t want to lose him for free or for cheap – why hasn’t he got a contract yet?
The only possible answer is that he’s asking for more money than they’re willing to pay. But it’s hard to imagine his demands over the last 2 years have been that outlandish – surely he’s not asking more than the going rate for a player of his quality?
According to Twomey, basically those upstairs at Chelsea simply don’t rate him. That’s meant low-ball offers from them, while Gallagher’s consistently brilliant performances and subsequent appearances for England have only strengthened his argument that he deserves more.
If they had simply recognised his ability back when they arrived, we’re sure they could have signed him up for much less than he now wants – quite justifiably after proving himself as a reliable option for club and country.
Once again their attempts to save some pennies are going to cost them many pounds. It’s poor squad planning, poor talent ID and poor strategic thinking.