Chelsea set to IGNORE Pochettino's wishes by selling first-team star

Cameron Smith

• 24 Jul 2023 12:11 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is bracing himself for a permanent exit from his boyhood club, with the club deciding that he will be sold this summer, according to reports.

The England international returned to Stamford Bridge last season after a fruitful loan spell at Crystal Palace and was a regular contributor under both Graham Potter and Frank Lampard.

MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

Mauricio Pochettino is also said to be an admirer of Gallagher and has been impressed with the player in pre-season so far. However, the decision to offload the Cobham academy graduate has been made by the Chelsea hierarchy and Pochettino reportedly understands the choice made by those in charge of transfers.

That is according to the Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella, who has reported that Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are interested in signing Gallagher. The Englishman is said to be resigned to his fate of leaving Chelsea after 17 years at the club.

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Chelsea to sell Gallagher

The 23-year-old made 45 appearances in all competitions last season and won Chelsea’s ‘Goal of the Season’ award for his last-minute winner against Palace, the team he spent the 2021/22 campaign on loan at.

He has also netted in both of Chelsea’s pre-season fixtures so far - 5-0 victory over Wrexham and a narrow 4-3 win against Brighton & Hove Albion - but has been deemed surplus to requirement despite the lack of options available to Pochettino.

Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount have all departed Stamford Bridge since the start of 2023, with no senior midfield arrivals replacing them.

Andrey Santos has been the only midfield addition in 2023, although the Brazilian is still just 19 years old and has never played senior football in Europe. He has started both of Chelsea’s pre-season games so far and has impressed the coaching staff, as well as the Blues supporters.

The club’s pursuit of Moises Caicedo remains ongoing, but Chelsea have not yet matched Brighton’s asking price of €115m, which is proving to be a major stumbling block.