A quiet weekend in the middle of what’s been a quiet summer all around at Chelsea was punctured by an interesting story in the Spanish media which came out yesterday afternoon.
From nowhere, AS claimed that former Atletico Madrid man Kieran Tripper had been selling a move to the club to Conor Gallagher, who has been linked with a switch to Diego Simeone’s team as his contract enters its final year.
Newcastle full back Tripper apparently raved about Simeone’s coaching and training sessions, which he believed took him up a level as a player after leaving Tottenham. 24 year old Gallagher is at a real career crossroads, and while a move abroad is a risk, it could also prove to be the making of him.
A deal suddenly coming together
When this story first broke, we dismissed it as very unlikely. The sort of money Chelsea want for Gallagher just doesn’t seem compatible with what Atletico are willing to pay for players of that sort. His wage demands will be big too, and there were questions over whether he would really consider a move there to be as big a jump up as a potential move to other places.
But the more we hear about it, the more convinced we are that it might be on the cards. Reports like this make it seem like he’s been convinced, and once the player is onboard a deal between the clubs becomes infinitely more likely. While a fee is going to require a lot of compromise from both clubs, if they’re equally motivated to make a deal happen, it’s certainly possible. There are a lot of tools at their disposal, from heavily add on base deals, to a potential pseudo-swap involving a player like Samu Omorodion who Chelsea are keen on.
