Chelsea can unleash Conor Gallagher transfer replacement as £58m Enzo Maresca dream deal complete

News about Chelsea transfers Enzo Maresca’s midfield will suffer greatly with the departure of Conor Gallagher, but the mystery may already be solved.

Conor Gallagher leaves big shoes to be filled at Chelsea after his performances last season (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Chelsea had no intention of playing 50 games with Conor Gallagher last season. Even so, Mauricio Pochettino was left to stabilise matters with Enzo Fernandez on the eve of his first and ultimately his only campaign in charge.

He displayed qualities and maturity in a crucial position in a fierce 90 minutes against Liverpool on opening day, which had been absent from his performances in the previous 12 months. At that point, he was supposed to play in a rigorous and disciplined double-pivot under Thomas Tuchel, but he didn’t look ready.

Prior to last summer, Gallagher was a dependable squad option following a chaotic year in which he made frequent appearances but was more often used as a bench warmer. Gallagher became so much more under Pochettino, even with the attempts to sell him to Tottenham.

His departure seems inevitable at one point. A few days following his impressive performance against Liverpool, which would have pleased Jurgen Klopp to see from one of his own players, Chelsea solidified their place in the standings by acquiring Romeo Lavia, a Southampton teenager, for £58 million. They also recruited Moises Caicedo, who cost almost twice as much.

For lack of numbers, Gallagher had gone from being a starter to once again being an outsider looking in. He didn’t, however, appear to be afraid of the prospect of competing against his new teammates. While Gallagher faced increased responsibilities due to injury concerns, fitness challenges, and team structure, Pochettino appreciated his enthusiasm and pressing ability. This is demonstrated by the fact that he went on to miss just one game throughout all competitions, which included runs to the domestic cup semifinals and final.

However, that was never the desired outcome. Gallagher was a player that Chelsea would have gladly sold for £35 million last year, even to Spurs. They were prepared with the high-priced substitutes and an over £300 million midfield triad. Lesley Ugochukwu, a highly-regarded young player from Rennes, and Carney Chukwuemeka, a more aggressive option, were the players behind that.

Trevoh Chalobah was ready to return from his own niggle if necessary, and there was extra support for a season without European football. The newest academy midfielder to be signed between age-group and first-team football was Alex Matos. There were choices.

After that, Chelsea had to rely mostly on Lady Luck to keep Gallagher from being sold. owing to injury, Lavia didn’t play until December 27. Caicedo started slowly, Fernandez quickly found himself playing through discomfort, Chukwuemeka was sidelined once more, and Chalobah was out for the duration owing to a long-term issue.

Gallagher was able to pick up the pieces and keep everything together, even if he did so by sort of dog-chasing automobiles. Pochettino would have been in big trouble without him. For the most part, the 24-year-old led the team as captain. As a result, he is still eligible for a permanent move for a little higher cost.

In actuality, if Atletico Madrid is successful in persuading Gallagher to relocate this summer, they will have to pay a price of £33 million plus add-ons that push the total towards £40 million. Football.london is aware that an agreement has been made between clubs, and the player must now make his own decisions.

During this process, Gallagher has turned down two contract offers from his boyhood club. It is believed that he has always preferred to stay at Stamford Bridge provided the circumstances were favourable.

A club would rarely proactively decide to sell a player in this situation, though. A portion of the justification stems from the possibility that Chelsea thinks they already have a Gallagher substitute.

It is difficult to envisage things being so terrible again after the midfield was completely destroyed by injuries and, to use a favourite Pochettino phrase, “the circumstances” last season. Quite simply, there won’t be the same dependence on Gallagher to unite the disparate pieces of a confused club into a formidable one.

Caicedo took up his position and frequently profited from Gallagher’s unrelenting ground-eating style. After surgery to repair a hernia, Fernandez’s movement was restricted for months, resulting in unsatisfactory excursions. Chukwuemeka is back in an effort to maintain his fitness. As the new left-sided No. 8, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is familiar with Enzo Maresca’s playing philosophy.

Dewsbury-Hall and Gallagher will be chasing the same minutes in the same location. There was no avoiding the smell of coffee as Chelsea paid £30 million to acquire the Leicester City player. This served to emphasise the fact that Gallagher’s contract status and sellability made him one of Chelsea’s most likely departure targets anyway.

Next up is Lavia. He was a box-to-box midfielder who was powerful between the lines but did not shine at either end of the pitch, and it was his arrival to the team last summer that put Gallagher under the greatest amount of pressure. Last term, he was as much missed as anyone.

The Belgian is an excellent ball handler even though many people anticipated him to be the midfield anchor when he was signed. In addition to providing enough coverage as an interceptor and shield to be in a pivot, he can bring it from defence with a variety of passes or by dribbling forward on his own.

Lavia will allow one of Caicedo or Fernandez—most likely the latter—to continue while the other comes in to support the build-up phase. Maresca is unlikely to deploy Lavia as a No. 8. Even in the preseason, he is now having one of his finest runs of games in 14 months.

Though it’s a full year later than anticipated, Lavia might be Chelsea’s long-term plan to replace Gallagher. However, there is still some risk involved in this.

Throughout his career, Gallagher has shown remarkable durability and hardly ever misses a game. Lavia has now missed time due to injury in each of his previous two seasons. It would be the exception rather than the rule if he were to manage more than 2,500 minutes across tournaments next season, even if Maresca has given him every opportunity thus far to improve his fitness and match sharpness.

Having managed the 20-year-old in Manchester City’s youth and being a strong supporter of players in his mould, Maresca will be hoping that Lavia has much more to offer. Undoubtedly, the dependence that has been placed on him thus far this summer is a sign of faith, but it also makes supporters cringe every time they see it.

Even considering the track record of some of their midfield decisions, Chelsea believes there is enough to justify Gallagher’s departure. Lavia poses the greatest challenge to this belief, but he also has the greatest potential. That’s the risk Chelsea is assuming.