Chelsea have made a HUGE Conor Gallagher mistake

Cameron Smith

Updated: 5 Aug 2024 13:28 BST
3 min read

Conor Gallagher has accepted a move to Atletico Madrid and the deal is expected to be completed within the next few days.

Article continues under the video

The Chelsea midfielder was one of the club’s key players under Mauricio Pochettino last season, but Enzo Maresca’s arrival has signalled the end of his time at Stamford Bridge.

The Cobham academy graduate will leave the Blues for a reported fee of €40 million and he will depart west London after making 95 first-team appearances for his boyhood club.

The 24-year-old’s exit has divided Chelsea fans, with some arguing that he isn’t good enough to play a possession-based approach, while many believe he warrants more loyalty after his impressive 2023-24 campaign.

However, Gallagher rejected a two-year contract extension offer, with an option for a third, and Chelsea were unwilling to offer a longer-term deal to the England international.

As a result, he will leave Stamford Bridge for the Spanish capital, where he will link up with Diego Simeone.

© IMAGO - Conor Gallagher will leave Chelsea for Atletico Madrid

Chelsea have undervalued Conor Gallagher

Despite earning a €40m fee for a player with just one year left on his deal, Chelsea have actually undersold Gallagher.

That is according to Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) - a market-leading transfer valuation algorithm designed and developed by Dutch data company SciSports, in conjunction with FootballTransfers.

Current ETV

Conor Gallagher

M, DM (C)

Chelsea

Conor Gallagher

M, DM (C)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€39.9M - €66.5M

Gallagher's ETV currently stands at €53.2m - which makes him the most valuable player in Chelsea’s entire squad.

As a result, not only have Chelsea undervalued Gallagher by €13.2m, as per ETV, they are also selling their highest-valued player.

Cole Palmer, by comparison, has an ETV of €50.4m, but his current trajectory suggests he will soon become more valuable than Gallagher.

Chelsea have been fairly smart sellers under Clearlake Capital, so this is a rather surprising error.

For example, Kai Havertz, Ian Maatsen, Omari Hutchinson and Lewis Hall have all been sold for more than their ETV over the past two years.

However, selling Gallagher for just €40m may be looked back on as a slight error, especially considering Mason Mount - who also had one year left on his Chelsea contract - was offloaded to Manchester United for €64.2m last summer.