Gallagher IN, Guehi & Tomori OUT: How Chelsea transfer decisions impacted England's World Cup squad

James Shearman

• Updated: 10 Nov 2022 12:41 CST
• 3 min read

Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has made England's World Cup squad, while former Blues defenders Marc Guehi and Fikayo Tomori have missed out.

Three Lions head coach Gareth Southgate announced the 26-man squad, which included Gallagher, earlier today.

The trio's chances of making the cut were all slim, but the Chelsea man will be on the plane to Qatar.

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Defenders Guehi and Tomori both left the west London club in recent years in search of regular playing time.

And the pair have impressed since leaving Stamford Bridge, at Crystal Palace and AC Milan respectively, but to no avail in terms of international football.

How Chelsea transfer decisions impacted England's World Cup squad

Conor Gallagher was advised by several pundits to leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window, for the sake of both his domestic and international careers.

The 22-year-old enjoyed an excellent 2021-22 season on loan at Crystal Palace, scoring eight times in 33 Premier League starts, and many felt he would not fare so well at Stamford Bridge in this campaign.

But while he has not played as much as he might have elsewhere, staying at Chelsea has not been detrimental to his England hopes at all.

Even though it has only been on occasion, proving that he is capable of playing for the Blues may have been the deciding factor in making the squad for Qatar.

Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi, on the other hand, will not be part of Gareth Southgate's side.

Guehi has been excellent for Crystal Palace, alongside Joachim Andersen, since moving to Selhurst Park last summer.

While Tomori has excelled at Milan, helping them to last season's Serie A title, but to no avail as far as international football is concerned.

One would suggest that had either of the two centre-backs lined up for Chelsea, they would have been ahead of Conor Coady, Harry Maguire or Eric Dier in the pecking order.