Chelsea’s recent 4-3 win over Manchester United basically summed up their campaign in a nutshell, winning games they shouldn’t be winning while suffering defeats in matches they should be taking all three points from.
The result leaves the club occupying tenth position in the Premier League table, just five points off sixth spot.
If Mauricio Pochettino can inspire his side to a solid finish over their remaining nine matches, they could perhaps steal a European place.
Cole Palmer has been in sensational form this season, having joined from Manchester City last summer, scoring 19 goals and registering 12 assists, proving to be arguably Pochettino’s finest player throughout the campaign.
Another standout has been Conor Gallagher. The Englishman has been outstanding at times this season and this sort of form has not gone unnoticed…
Conor Gallagher is attracting interest
Gallagher has a contract until 2025 at Chelsea, yet it looks as though an extension has not been discussed as yet for the midfielder.
Tottenham Hotspur are a club who have shown plenty of interest in the 24-year-old over the previous 12 months, and they could be set to make a move this summer if no new deal is agreed by then.
Season
Games
Goals
2023/24
40
5
2022/23
45
3
2021/22
39
8
2020/21
32
2
2019/20
47
6
According to 90min, the Stamford Bridge side will place a £50m price tag on Gallagher’s head this summer, which is lower than the £60m that they were previously seeking.
Securing this type of fee for the player will allow the club to comply with financial fair play regulations as Pochettino looks to balance his books ahead of next season. The Argentinean has a tough decision to make, however, especially considering how influential Gallagher has become.
Conor Gallagher’s statistics for Chelsea this season
Gallagher returned from his loan spell at Crystal Palace looking to make inroads into securing a regular place in the starting XI last season. He featured 45 times in all competitions for the club and has used this as a platform for further success on a personal level this term.
So far during the 2023/24 campaign, the midfielder has played 40 matches, scoring five goals and registering seven assists in all competitions.
Among his teammates in the Premier League, Gallagher ranks second with regards to overall Sofascore rating (7.31), along with ranking second for big chances created (eight), key passes per game (1.5) and for tackles per game (2.5), showcasing his abilities across both attacking and defensive metrics this season.
When compared to his positional peers in the top five European leagues, Gallagher ranks in the top 1% for pass success rate per 90 (87.8%) and the top 2% for both tackles (2.5) and interceptions (1.3) per 90 across the previous 365 days.
These statistics clearly show how important Gallagher is to this Chelsea team. That being said, receiving a transfer fee of around £50m would give Pochettino a licence to manoeuvre in the transfer window, while he perhaps already has an ideal replacement just waiting to be unleashed in the first-team squad next season – Andrey Santos.
How much Chelsea paid for Andrey Santos
During the January 2023 transfer window – where Chelsea spent £320m – the Blues secured the signature of Brazilian youngster Santos from Vasco da Gama, costing the club around £18m, and he was certainly earmarked as a player who could have a solid future.
"He's a strong, box-to-box midfielder – I don't think Vasco would have been promoted without him,” said South American football expert Tim Vickery upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
"But it's a big step up. He's not a player who will be ready for Premier League football yet. He's only 18 – this is one for the future.”
Santos failed to make an appearance for the Chelsea first team during the second half of last season and joined Nottingham Forest on a loan deal at the start of 2023/24. The 19-year-old played just twice for the club before moving abroad on another temporary deal, sealing a move to French side Strasbourg.
Andrey Santos’ statistics at Strasbourg
Finding his feet at Forest proved to be more difficult than first anticipated, yet the teenager is beginning to flourish in France, already making four appearances since joining a couple of months ago.
Analyst Ben Mattinson praised the move to send him out on a temporary move, saying: “This loan will do him the world of good in building confidence after not being used at Forest.
“This type of signing is exactly the one they should be doing. [£]10m on a prospect who could become [£]60m. Value for money.”
Across his four Ligue 1 games, Santos has averaged a pass success rate of 87%, won 5.5 total duels per game, made two tackles per game along with losing possession just 5.5 times on average per match, showcasing his many talents in the French top flight.
He is clearly still developing, but playing for a club like Strasbourg where there isn’t as much pressure as trying to keep Forest in the Premier League, could be highly beneficial for the youngster.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig praised him after Santos shone for Brazil U20s last year, lauding the player as a “one-man war machine in midfield” and, given the chance, he could showcase these abilities at Chelsea in the foreseeable future.
Gallagher’s future is still uncertain heading into the summer transfer window and if he continues this excellent form, there will be interest from more clubs than just Spurs, that’s for sure.
Instead of splashing the cash on a replacement in the transfer market, Pochettino should be taking a closer look at Santos and perhaps giving him a chance to show exactly what he could do.
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The 19-year-old is a special talent indeed, but it isn’t the first time that Chelsea have signed a player with all the promise in the world, only for them to struggle and move on after a few underwhelming years.
Santos is seemingly the ideal Gallagher replacement but Pochettino will have to handle his progress with care.
