As the start of the 2023/24 Premier League inches closer, it remains unclear where England international Conor Gallagher will be playing his football. The 23 year old has been the subject of a large offer from West Ham United while Spurs have also been linked with a move for the Chelsea midfielder.
An academy product at Stamford Bridge, Gallagher truly announced himself as a player of real promise during a successful 2021/22 loan spell at Crystal Palace. He showcased a real eye for a goal, netting eight times from midfield in the Premier League that season and his form was also enough to earn a first international cap in England’s 10-0 demolition of San Marino in November 2021.
Chelsea were impressed enough to make him part of their first team squad for the 2022/23 season. He made 18 Premier League starts for the Blues with a further 17 appearances off the bench, but as was the case with many of his teammates, Gallagher failed to produce his best football in a Chelsea side that stumbled to a miserable bottom half finish.
West Ham bid big for Gallagher
Chelsea have rejected West Ham first bid for Conor Gallagher around £40m with add-ons. 🚨🔵⛔️
After discussing internally and also with Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea decided to reject.
West Ham remain interested but #CFC want at least £50m to sell Conor. pic.twitter.com/CRLpg0CXDl
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 25, 2023
West Ham appear to be leading the chase for Gallagher and have tabled an initial bid of £40m plus add-ons. That offer has reportedly been rejected by Chelsea, although it’s likely that West Ham will return with a higher offer.
Having sold Declan Rice to Arsenal for a British record £105m, West Ham have cash to spend and a clear need for a high quality midfield addition. While not exactly a like-for-like replacement for Rice, Gallagher’s high work-rate and ability to operate as a box-to-box midfielder give him a skillset that is likely to appeal to David Moyes as he gears his side up for the new season which will see West Ham return to the Europa League, following Conference League glory last term.
With Chelsea unable to offer any form of European football this season, first team opportunities may be more limited for Gallagher at Stamford Bridge. It’s unlikely he’d be a key part in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans at Chelsea but there is clearly no immediate desire to sell on the West London club’s part with West Ham potentially needing to go above the £50m mark if they want to secure their target.
Is Conor Gallagher worth it?
On the surface, West Ham’s bid of £40m was a more than fair offer for a player who struggled to make a major impact last season at Chelsea. It was roughly the same amount that Tottenham recently paid Leicester for the services of James Maddison while Harvey Barnes has just joined Newcastle for what is believed to be a £38m fee.
Gallagher is slightly younger than fellow Englishmen Maddison and Barnes, but at this point, his impact on the Premier League stage has been considerably less. The Chelsea man is a different type of midfielder though and while English football is currently blessed with a large number of talented wingers and attacking midfielders, there are considerably less options when it comes to deeper lying and box-to-box players.
Were West Ham to return with a second offer, it would certainly feel like they’d be overpaying slightly for Gallagher but that may be the way of things whoever they sign. Having received a huge fee for Rice, all other clubs know they have significant funds ready to spend and there is a danger that they’ll be held to ransom as they chase their key summer targets.
Much may also depend on Chelsea’s pursuit of Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo with talks reportedly stalling between the two clubs. Any breakthrough there, could potentially pave the way for Gallagher to depart.
