Chelsea to hold talks with Conor Gallagher over extending contract
Chelsea are planning to hold talks with Conor Gallagher over extending his contract in the near-future, according to reports. Gallagher’s contract with his boyhood club expires in 2025 and the Blues are keen to secure his future amid interest from Tottenham and West Ham.
The midfielder is a key player for Mauricio Pochettino, starting eight of their nine games across all competitions so far this season, including all seven of their Premier League fixtures. He has also captained his side in four of these in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell.
Chelsea keen to avoid another Mason Mount situation
As such, Chelsea don’t want to risk the England international running down his contract like Mason Mount and Antonio Rudiger did in recent years, and, according to the Daily Mail, they are plotting to begin negotiations over a new contract.
With Todd Boehly splashing huge amounts of cash on midfield stars like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, many wondered whether they’d still be room for Gallagher at Stamford Bridge.
This is especially after the 23-year-old endured a difficult 2022/23 campaign, struggling for form and registering just three goals and one assist in 45 appearances.
Conor Gallagher’s impressive loan spell at Crystal Palace
This paled in comparison to his terrific loan spell at Crystal Palace the season prior, where he was a regular goalscorer and won the Eagles’ Player of the Year award for his eye-catching performances.
As a result, he was linked with a move away to two London rivals and while a bid from Tottenham never materialised, West Ham did make a £40million offer which was promptly rejected.
In any case, Gallagher has always maintained his commitment to Chelsea, whom he first joined at the age of eight, saying after the win over Fulham last Monday: ‘It’s a really proud time for me to captain the club the few times I have.
Gallagher named in latest England squad
‘You know how much it means to me and how much I want to do well at Chelsea because it’s my club that I’ve supported my whole life so to captain the club for a few games is amazing and I just want to keep trying to perform the best I can to help the team win games so hopefully I can continue to do that.’
Next up for Gallagher and Chelsea is a trip to Burnley on Saturday, with the club 11th in the table after a difficult start. The midfielder was also named in the latest England squad on Thursday and could feature in the upcoming friendly against Australia and the Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.
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