Conor Gallagher is expected to sign for Atletico Madrid shortly after agreeing to a five-year contract with the Spanish outfit and the Premier League club reaching an agreement of around $44 million. The 24-year-old has permission from the London club to travel to the Spanish capital and to undergo a medical ahead of the proposed move which could be completed later this week. Gallagher is a popular figure in the Chelsea squad, yet the Blues are opting to let him go which has divided many supporters.
We break down why this move is on the verge of happening.
Why are Chelsea selling Gallagher?
The question of Gallagher’s future is not a new one and it has been a subject of debate for well over a year with the large influx of players to Stamford Bridge since Todd Boehly’s arrival with Clearlake’s takeover of the club. That high expenditure has required sales to fall in line with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Aside from other club assets such as the women’s team and hotels, academy-grown players are one of the best sources of profit. They are essentially pure profit for a selling club as there is no pre-existing acquisition cost to amortize over the duration of their contracts. Gallagher joined the club aged eight and has risen all the way to being an England international, so he has long been considered one of the obvious academy-grown talents to sell given his high profile with other EPL clubs interested in signing him.
Didn’t they just offer him a new deal?
Chelsea did offer Gallagher extended terms on more than one occasion lately, but the issue with these proposals was that it was too short for the player who wanted something longer which the club was not prepared to commit to. Enzo Maresca seems less impressed by Gallagher than previous bosses, but the real goal behind Chelsea’s bids was to extend the deal beyond 2025 so that the Londoners had longer to sell him in case the contract wore down without a deal being done. Essentially, the club was offering a new contract to keep Gallagher’s value high and avoiding a scenario of being forced to sell for a low amount to a Premier League rival one day.
What were the alternatives?
Tottenham Hotspur were very keen and linked with an offer around the $64 million mark while Aston Villa also showed an interest. However, the deal being done with Atleti is much lower and reflects that Chelsea’s need to sell is greater than the will to keep Gallagher. Fellow academy graduates Ian Maatsen, Omari Hutchinson and Lewis Hall have already moved this summer for a combined $110 million before this deal which is good news in terms of PSR issues.
Is Atleti a good landing spot?
Whether or not Spain and Atleti is good fit for Gallagher remains to be seen but Diego Simeone’s squad will definitely be an interesting landing spot for the Three Lions star. Los Colchoneros will be looking to compete more seriously with bitter rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of La Liga and the Englishman is a boost to the Argentine’s squad. Culturally it might take a bit of work but Gallagher arrives as part of an interesting overhaul alongside Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth with Julian Alvarez also wanted. Factor in Alvaro Morata’s departure along with other veterans such as Stefan Savic, Gabriel Paulista, Memphis Depay, Vitolo, Mario Hermoso and Caglar Soyuncu and Gallagher’s arrival looks quite astute. Add in the fact that Chelsea will be delighted to have kept him out of Premier League hands and it is arguably the best possible landing spot once it was decided that the move absolutely had to go ahead.
