Transfer Talk: London rivals calling for Conor amid Blues rebuild

Conor Gallagher's 15-year stint at Chelsea could be coming to an end this summer.

According to multiple reports, the 23-year-old midfielder has been deemed surplus to requirements, despite the fact he scored in both of the Blues' recent pre-season victories over Wrexham and Brighton.

With just two years remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge, we shine the spotlight on the maestro who took the Premier League by storm while on loan at Crystal Palace in 2021-22.

Risky business

There is no doubt that offloading Gallagher would be a bold call from Mauricio Pochettino's side.

While the Englishman — like most Chelsea players — struggled for form last term, the Blues are not exactly blessed with depth in the midfield department.

N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount and Denis Zakaria have already departed Stamford Bridge this summer, leaving Enzo Fernandez, Carney Chukwuemeka and Andrey Santos as the senior options.

And Gallagher still recorded some fairly decent numbers from his 35 Premier League appearances in 2022-23 — of which only 18 were starts.

He ranked fifth in the West Londoners' squad for chances created and final third passes made, as well as fourth for take-ons completed.

Chelsea are pursuing moves for Brighton's Moises Caicedo and Ajax ace Mohammed Kudus but even so, selling the clearly talented Cobham graduate feels like an unnecessary risk to take.

London calling

Tottenham and West Ham are thought to be the two most likely destinations for Gallagher, with the latter reportedly having a bid of around £40million rejected on Monday.

The Hammers are in desperate need of midfield reinforcements after Declan Rice's move to Arsenal and the Chelsea ace's more attacking mindset would perhaps better compliment the pragmatic Tomas Soucek.

As for Spurs, new manager Ange Postecolgou is on the hunt for a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg replacement, with the Denmark international keen on joining Atletico Madrid.

Gallagher's versatility and high-octane playing style — which saw him win possession 93 times last season — appear tailor-made for the Aussie boss' 4-3-3 formation alongside Yves Bissouma and summer arrival James Maddison.

Feel the love

But while offers from both London rivals may prove tempting, Gallagher very recently expressed his desire to stay and fight for a place at Chelsea.

He said in June: "I love Chelsea, it has been a tough season for me and the whole team so I think we will just be working hard to get us back to where we belong."

On the hiring of Pochettino, the young midfielder added: "He's a top manager, everyone at Chelsea is happy he’s here and we're looking forward to working with him."

Decision time

Gallagher cannot let his adoration for Chelsea hinder his career progress, though.

With Euro 2024 now less than a year away, the seven-cap international needs regular playing time to maintain his place in Gareth Southgate's England squad.

And even with the Blues losing a hefty chunk of their midfield this summer, he looks unlikely to get that at Stamford Bridge — particularly if the West London outfit manage to acquire Caicedo.

Chelsea will also not be playing in Europe next season, meaning squad rotation will be at lower levels than in previous campaigns.

A first permanent move for Gallagher could prove to be the best course of action for both parties.