Conor Gallagher provided some insight into the circumstances that led to his Chelsea exit.
England international midfielder Conor Gallagher has broken his silence following his complicated move from his boyhood club Chelsea to LALIGA giants Atletico Madrid.
The 23-year-old was an integral member of Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea squad last season. This summer, however, he switched England's capital for Spain's for a reported €42 million move.
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According to reports, Gallagher wanted to continue at Chelsea, but the PSR gains the club stood to accrue from his sale—being a homegrown player—made them open to letting him go.
With his contract running out, he was offered a short-term extension by the club, which was contrary to the club's policy of handing longer-term deals to players and signalled how little they valued him.
What Gallagher said
There have been suggestions that he was pushed out because, while he fit like a glove in Pochettino's set-up, the Argentine has since left and it is believed that Gallaher is not an ideal profile for Maresca’s style.
The midfielder, speaking in a press conference on England duty, rejected this idea. He thanked the fans and discussed the contract situation.
“I don’t think that’s true personally,” he said about not fitting into Maresca's system, per the Daily Mail. “I think last season I had a good season with Chelsea, as you could see by Mauricio Pochettino playing me every game and showing his trust in me. And the fans appreciated what I did on the pitch too.
“I’m very grateful for all of that and very thankful to the fans. And very thankful to Pochettino for giving me that platform to go and express myself and show the best version of myself at Chelsea.
“Chelsea make their own decisions and they’ve brought in some top players on long contracts. That wasn’t the situation with me but, in the end, what happened is good for everyone, so everyone is happy.”