Former Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has made it clear he thinks he could have been a good fit for new manager Enzo Maresca, despite it being put to him that he might not have suited the Italian tactician’s style of play.
Gallagher recently moved from Chelsea to Atletico Madrid after a lengthy transfer saga that also saw him linked with plenty of other clubs, and there’ll be a fair few Blues fans questioning the decision to let the England international go.
Despite not being the flashiest player or biggest name in the world, Gallagher was a solid and consistent performer for Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino last season, and there’s every chance he could have continued to do an important job for the team this term.
Still, the 24-year-old had come to the final year of his Chelsea contract, so it makes sense that the west London giants felt they had little choice but to cash in on him this summer while they still could, as it would have been a major blow to lose him on a free in summer 2025.
Conor Gallagher left Chelsea for Atletico Madrid this summer
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CFC made plenty of new signings this summer and that also left little room for Gallagher, so all in all there are plenty of reasons the deal made sense without it being anything to do with Maresca’s tactical preferences.
Gallagher transfer: Ex-Chelsea midfielder responds to Maresca claim
“I don’t think that’s true personally. I think last season I had a good season with Chelsea as you could see by Mauricio Pochettino playing me every game and showing his trust in me. And the fans appreciated what I did on the pitch too,” Gallagher told the Daily Mail.
“I’m very grateful for all of that and very thankful to the fans. And very thankful to Pochettino for giving me that platform to go and express myself and show the best version of myself at Chelsea.
“Chelsea make their own decisions and they’ve brought in some top players on long contracts. That wasn’t the situation with me but, in the end, what happened is good for everyone, so everyone is happy.”
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