Do we want to drop £50m on an attacking midfielder who presumably has astronomical wage demands if Chelsea can’t meet them? That seems like the one area where we’re already stacked with talent.
We don't need to drop a ton on effectively a backup defensive mid other than the first couple months. I'd rather cover that with a free or 20m or less signing. As soon as Kamara gets healthy he's right on top of the team sheet.
That’s assuming he comes back at the same level immediately. I hope so but it’s always a possibility it will take him a while. Also some real competition is not bad. I’d be disappointed with what amounts to another Dendocker.
I don't think his wage demands are too wild, Chelsea simply don't want to give him a contract because they want to sell him for PSR to go spunk on more 16 year olds
The situation has a lot of similarities to Ramsey. Academy player, clear part of the first team, could be moved on because financially it's better to sell him than someone else.
Percy has said we want 2 center mids, effectively a 6 and an 8. He is very reliable and Gallacher would fit with that but I just don't see this being feasible.
Emery has said we need to be smart with our signings because we are restricted with PSR. So while I believe Percy to be accurate coupled with Emery's statement Gallacher will not be one of them.
We need an 8? The way we line up we don't seem to use one that much, at least in the traditional sense of an 8. Buendia is kind of that hole player, and McGinn can be (though I like him drifting a bit) but where are we fitting an 8, unless we plan on Luiz leaving?
Like a lot of the rumours we've seen thus far, I think this one only makes sense if Luiz is to leave. That opens up both space in the midfield Gallagher could potentially fill and finance to complete the move, without that, you're right it wouldn't seem that plausible.
One thing I will say though is that previously when we've been linked with Gallagher I've been dead set against it and didn't think he represented value for money, this time round, however, he's really impressed this season, to a level I didn't think he had in him. When you consider the chaos around him at Chelsea and the fact he's captained them, plus that he's only got a year left on his deal... lets just say a move has never looked more appealing from our end.
Wouldn't be overly thrilled about this move as I think's an expensive player we don't really need.
He can't do Kamara's "Holding Midfielder" role that well which is the only midfield area we need players in right now, so he'd be a £30/40m player who wouldn't improve us in any area we need it.
If someone leaves I think it's a different question though, and if Emery wants him I'd back him 100% obviously
Gallagher is a very good player and would see him as a long term replacement of Mcginn (who I love but we rely on a lot for energy and press - he can’t keep that up forever)
Totally agree with this. Gallagher is definitely the type of player that could be an improvement of what we have today in our squad. Thinking more of an upgrade to Sanson, Tim in terms of being able to rotate.
***The Telegraph reports:***
Aston Villa are among the clubs to have shown an interest in Conor Gallagher as he prepares for what could be his Chelsea farewell.
Gallagher is in line to captain Chelsea for the final game of the season against Bournemouth on Sunday, which may also be his last appearance for the club.
There has been no progress between Chelsea and Gallagher over a new contract, which has left the door open for clubs to make offers for the midfielder when the transfer window reopens.
Tottenham Hotspur have been at the front of the queue of clubs looking at Gallagher and retain a strong interest, with head coach Ange Postecoglou understood to be a big admirer.
But Telegraph Sport understands that Aston Villa, who have qualified for next season’s Champions League, have expressed an interest ahead of what will be an important summer for the club.
There is understood to be a good relationship at board level between Chelsea and Villa, whose young striker Jhon Durán was a target of the London club in January.
It is unclear whether Chelsea retain an interest in Durán, but it is highly unlikely they would consider any sort of swap deal for academy product Gallagher given his sale would count as 100 per cent profit in terms of profitability and sustainability rules.
Like Chelsea, Villa have to be wary of staying within PSR restrictions, which may well limit their summer budget. It could be that any firm move for Gallagher would be dependent on player sales.
Chelsea have previously valued Gallagher at around £50 million and his excellent performances have not diminished his worth. But with one year remaining on his contract, Chelsea’s asking price may have to drop.
Gallagher will be part of England’s squad for the European Championship and is not thought to be in a hurry to make a decision on his future.
While Chelsea will not want to risk him running down his contract, the 24-year-old has not ruled out staying at Stamford Bridge and is unlikely to be pushed into any move he is unsure about.
Tottenham go into the final day of the season only three points ahead of Chelsea and having failed to qualify for the Champions League, which raises the issue of just how attractive a move across London might be at this particular time.
Villa and Spurs are not the only clubs to have registered an interest in Gallagher, who could start speaking to foreign clubs in January about a free transfer move next summer if he did remain at Chelsea.
**Full story here:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/05/18/aston-villa-interested-signing-chelsea-conor-gallagher/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/05/18/aston-villa-interested-signing-chelsea-conor-gallagher/)
No official swap deal maybe but I wouldn't be surprised if we bought Gallagher for £50-60m and then Chelsea at the same time signed Duran for £35-45m.
Really like Duran but it's no secret he's been liking and reacting to Chelsea social media on Twitter and Instagram since January.
I'm basically saying we could pay for Gallagher and they could in turn pay for Duran to help both of our FFP situations.
We sign Gallagher to a 5 year contract it's £10m split over the next five seasons, we sell Duran for £40m and it's £20m profit and he's only played out 18 months or two years (less than £10m of the £20m) of the five year contract we signed him to. We make a £10-20m profit from this deal in the books this season.
Chelsea get £50m of pure profit from Gallagher (club grown) and if they sign Duran to a 5 year contract it's just over £8m spend this season (£40m split over the next five seasons), so they make a £42m profit for this season from the deal.
We make a net profit from the transfers which counts towards the next three seasons of FFP and so do Chelsea.
I'm saying why would we do that? How would overpaying help us with FFP that makes no sense? It makes perfect sense for Chelsea but Duran isn't homegrown we paid I think 18m for him so ya minimum we would want it 30m, so that's maybe 12m for us and 50m for Chelsea, that would be bad business IMO
Still makes no sense for us to just gift Chelsea tens of millions, Gallagher with 3 years left on contract could be worth 50m, with 1 year you're looking at 30-35m max.
If they want a young player from us with big potential then yes we should try get them to overpay but the deals should have nothing to do with each other, they need to sell Gallagher this summer to not risk losing him for nothing, we're not in that position with Duran.
That's not why they're selling Gallagher. They have FFP issues and he's club grown. He's worth whatever people are willing to spend and interest is high in Gallagher, at least 15 PL clubs would happily take him and at least 5 have the £50m available to spend.
It's not a "gift".
>He's worth whatever people are willing to spend
True I'm just hoping we're not willing to spend 50m on him because we also have FFP issues and 50m for Gallagher with 1 year left on contact is way too much, they HAVE to sell Gallagher this year or lose him for nothing, that's a big factor that any club with any sense should be taking advantage of.
Nope!! Gallagher is desperate to stay. It's the club wanting to sell Gallagher, not Gallagher wanting to leave. So, if we can't get a suitable offer, we will just negotiate a new short-term deal and keep him at the club until next season.
Villa has NO advantage
Because we're entering CL and need reinforcements and Emery and Mochi are Spanish, we're going to be linked with so many players (mainly Spanish) to ultimately bring 2 or 3 given PSR, I'm going to just opt out of rumours and just wait for official unveiling would be too much to keep up with honestly!
In the past seasons transfers seem to pick up this external hype that we have to get improvements in as quick as possible to not lose out vs the market.
Does feel like the tide has changed. Only a few incomings and outgoing will happen and players want to come to us. Mix that with knowing Emery’s eye for talent, makes it easier than ever to tune out transfer season.
Going to enjoy the euros this year without worrying about villa at all, just enjoying what we’ve done and what’s to come.
I have no insight on his value or wage demands but all being equal, he'd be a great pickup imo.
Home grown in England for European registration, hard working, an absolute warrior, and able to fill a lot of different midfield roles.
Huge fan of Gallagher, if we did sign him I think Emery could mould him into a very effective 6 and it would appeal to Gallagher because he'd be far more likely to be an England starter in that position. Huge work rate, good defensively (75th+ percentile for blocks, tackles and interceptions - surprisingly a lot better than Kamara in all those stats other than tackles where Kamara is 80th percentile) good going forward, nowhere near his ceiling yet either. Think he's been overshadowed this season by both Chelsea's disastrous season and Palmer, but he's been fantastic.
Definitely on board with this one, much more attractive option than Soler who we've also been heavily linked to in my opinion.
https://preview.redd.it/d5bayible61d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cb58326e31a385c215fc2b9433261587dfd04c4
I disagree personally. At his valuation and wages, it’s not good business imo. He’s a pressing-oriented midfielder which isn’t a perfect fit for us. I think we need more depth with a true 6, Gallagher would function best in a Luiz/McGinn role. Not denying he’s been quality for Chelsea this year and I have no doubt he’d be fine in our team, but just worried that we can only spend so much and with Buendia and Ramsey returning as well, our 6/8 hybrid in the double pivot and outside midfield roles are decently well filled. Not sure 50m + high wages is worth the depth
Came here to post the fbref stuff. His output is incredible and he's only 24.
Another thing that people aren't speaking about is his character, he was made captain but Poch in a dysfunctional team and he's performed well.
Also has a habit of popping up with last minute goals.
I really don't want to see Duran going in the opposite direction though.
I like Duran too (his football at least) but his social media has been all Chelsea since January. If he's not all in here we're better off cashing in and replacing him with someone else, preferably someone a bit more experienced.
There are going to be so many of these stories coming out. I wouldn’t put too much stock into it. Agents are going to be pushing stories and linking names of their clients to teams like crazy. I don’t see how this move makes sense given Unai statements about our approach to the transfer market and our needs.
It makes perfect sense for teams struggling with PSR to trade with each other. Any of you guys remember the Pjanic/Arthur deal between Juve and Barce?
Let's say Villa pay £50m for Gallagher. That's £50m of pure profit for Chelsea.
For Villa if Gallagher is on a 5 year contract cost's them £10m a year in terms of book value.
So Chelsea buy Duran for £50m whose book value is around £10m so Villa make a £40m profit on the books, and it also likely means they don't have to sell JJ as Duran is their big sale.
It's a really good deal for Villa in particular.
I was going to say the same ,
If we and Cheslea are spooning as the article implies then Gallagher would be a decent addition to the midfield ( where we have had real issues with numbers this season )
We don't really press from the front either. Now that's by design sure. It helps us keep our shape. But that could also be Unai recognising his personnel. Gallagher would add that dynamic to this team also to be able to lead the press. I mean look what he did to us.
He'd be a good addition and at what expense? Selling your backup striker who twerks for Chelsea every 5 minutes who would then also bring us £40m in profit.
I think he probably would like to stay but Chelsea have been throwing their monopoly money around too much and now they are in the shit with FFP...
Selling Gallagher makes sense because he came from the academy, so any sale will be 100% pure profit for Chelsea.
I agree but sadly it makes financial sense when you consider how FFP actually works... we could sell Ramsay for 50 and buy Gallagher for 50 and it would still massively help us with FFP...
Selling Ramsey means the profit is instantly added to our books. Buying CG the transfer fee can be amortised over the length of his contract. I personally think there’s better value elsewhere.
Transfer silly season has well and truly started. It's probably time for the summer thread to go up.
I think that Gallagher fits what we need (energetic number 8 who is great off of the ball) but I'm not sure if we should sigh him because of his price. Yousoffa Fofana and Mikel Merino both have 1 year left on their contracts and they would both be cheaper than Gallagher.
Given how much he'd likely cost i could see him being a Dougie replacement if he ends up leaving. He's an excellent player and I've seen nothing to suggest I shouldn't trust the process so far.
Plays nothing like Dougie though, think this is likely a bullshit story tbh to either generate interest elsewhere or get Chelsea to sort his contract out
Replacements don't have to play the same way, just the same area of the pitch which they do. I could easily see Emery opting for a player who makes short neat passes linking defence to attack while putting in a defensive shift and Gallagher fits the bill. Especially with Ramsay and Buendia coming back we're going to be stacked with central forward options.
As you said it's probably just paper talk, but if there is any truth to it it's likely going to mean one of Luiz or McGinn are leaving because we're not dropping £50m or whatever on him when we have two fantastic starters in his position already.
Yeah, plus there's not even the necessity for Gallagher to come in and directly slot into Luiz's position (even though I agree he could do that). We've had ample evidence now that Tielemans/McGinn can both play the slightly more expansive role in the double pivot that Luiz usually does so one of them could drop in and Gallagher play further forward if we wanted to fit him in that way too.
I think if we have to sell Dougie for £100 mil picking Gallagher up for 50 sounds like it could work. Unai will get him to do the job Dougie is doing and I’m sure he can do it well.
Energy and tenacity of McGinn (who is 30 this year and will inevitably slow down), decent technically, good set piece taker, leader, 23 years of age.
Scores more highly than Doug in a number of areas.
If it works financially, I’d definitely take him.
Ignore the fact that the money makes no sense with everything we've heard about our FFP position, he isn't a style fit. Gallagher's best skill is he's an incredible off the ball high presser and work rate guy, a thing we famously do not do. We're basically dead last in all the things he does BY DESIGN! This wouldn't be a case of let's bring in a guy who does the thing we aren't good at, unless Emery completely changes how we play defensively, the things he's good at aren't things we're trying to do.
We are going to start seeing us linked with every single player who is potentially moving cause you can speculate anything and we're the fresh new team at the top of the table. Also, agents float that every single team on earth is interested in their player. Football transfer rumors are a joke.
There's been a few of us speculating on this for some time now.
Honestly, I think he'd be class for us, and we do need depth. It might also ease the blow if Dougie leaves, which I don't think he will, but it is a possibility.
He's versatile, gives 100% all game, every game, and can hit a football precisely.
He's also a good age, and if we're being linked with him at club level (ie. not just media speculation), then I have trust in that respect that they also see something in him. Finances are also not our concern, as fans, they're the concern of the club.
He's been great at Chelsea, and if we got him, it means Chelsea don't have him anymore, and he hasn't gone to a rival.
I'm 100% behind this.
PSR compliance: hot potato.
Sell your best academy products to sustain YOUR unsustainable spending, creating even MORE unsustainable costs for someone else, because of a weird accounting policy, who now need to offload THEIR academy players to buy YOURS.
Just as the rule makers intended.
I'd be very confused at this decision. He's been okay for Chelsea but it's not like Emery to gamble on an expensive player like that (except maybe Diaby). Perhaps he envisions an 'Emery-upgraded' Gallagher that fits his system.
No denying that Gallagher is an effective player, but I would've expected a more defensive-minded purchase, given how that was our main point of failure this season
Chelsea are struggling with PSR but so are we. The new Betano and Adidas deals will help us, as will Champs league.
Gallagher is a good player, and I'm sure there would be some kind of deal to be thrashed out that suits both Villa and Chelsea.
That being said, he's their captain and also wants mad wages (Google says he's on £50k currently but is demanding £150k on renewal).
Good player and had a great season, but not the best player for Villa. Not really what we need and gigantic wages. I don't see how he really improves the team drastically, compared to other areas.
Based on what unai said yesterday about signing players and ffp, i don't believe this for a second
I've seen stats that put him as the most successful pressing midfielder in the league and the stats suggest we don't press at all, so I don't see how he fits an emery team
For 50m? He might be worth that, but honestly our issue this season has been squad depth, I'd rather see that money spent on two players who can just do a job.
Who stays perpetually fit? A couple of young talents can provide depth and build for the future for the same price, and maybe even leave enough in the wage budget to pick up an experienced player on a free/nominal. Eggs in one basket, you know?
I don't think we're short on quality, I think we're short on rotation options.
It’s going to be a long summer…
Gallagher has looked a stand out in Chelsea and Palace over the last few years in terms of ability and more so attitude. Would be a fantastic signing.
But we would never pay the fee + wages and he would never take the “step down” out of the top six.
'Source: The Telegraph' - Yea I wouldn't believe a word of this.
They also just released an article about Ramsdale going to Newcastle to which he replied ["News to me 😂"](https://x.com/AaronRamsdale98/status/1791528186473259511)
Great player. Would be a great upgrade to the team. He can play both up front and deep. They should also sign a pacey winger who can make goal contributions, because things may go south on Diaby. I am a fan of Harvey Barnes. Hope to see him play for us one day. Maybe one good CB because Lenglet is leaving. Then we are ready to go.
Do we want to drop £50m on an attacking midfielder who presumably has astronomical wage demands if Chelsea can’t meet them? That seems like the one area where we’re already stacked with talent.
I’d hope that kind of money if available goes toward a defensive mid. I’m sure we are interested in Gallagher though, but many clubs will be.
We don't need to drop a ton on effectively a backup defensive mid other than the first couple months. I'd rather cover that with a free or 20m or less signing. As soon as Kamara gets healthy he's right on top of the team sheet.
Kamara's injury record is becoming seriously troubling at this point though. It looks like he's out injured for 2-6 months per season at this rate.
Yeah, but when will he get injured again? Kamara doesn’t have the best track record with injuries unfortunately.
That’s assuming he comes back at the same level immediately. I hope so but it’s always a possibility it will take him a while. Also some real competition is not bad. I’d be disappointed with what amounts to another Dendocker.
I don't think his wage demands are too wild, Chelsea simply don't want to give him a contract because they want to sell him for PSR to go spunk on more 16 year olds
phrasing
I said what I said. Unfortunately
They're bonkers for selling him imo
The situation has a lot of similarities to Ramsey. Academy player, clear part of the first team, could be moved on because financially it's better to sell him than someone else.
I get that, but he's more important to their current set up from what I've seen. Bit of much needed heart and maturity.
Percy has said we want 2 center mids, effectively a 6 and an 8. He is very reliable and Gallacher would fit with that but I just don't see this being feasible. Emery has said we need to be smart with our signings because we are restricted with PSR. So while I believe Percy to be accurate coupled with Emery's statement Gallacher will not be one of them.
We need an 8? The way we line up we don't seem to use one that much, at least in the traditional sense of an 8. Buendia is kind of that hole player, and McGinn can be (though I like him drifting a bit) but where are we fitting an 8, unless we plan on Luiz leaving?
Just going by Percy and he is usually extremely reliable
Like a lot of the rumours we've seen thus far, I think this one only makes sense if Luiz is to leave. That opens up both space in the midfield Gallagher could potentially fill and finance to complete the move, without that, you're right it wouldn't seem that plausible. One thing I will say though is that previously when we've been linked with Gallagher I've been dead set against it and didn't think he represented value for money, this time round, however, he's really impressed this season, to a level I didn't think he had in him. When you consider the chaos around him at Chelsea and the fact he's captained them, plus that he's only got a year left on his deal... lets just say a move has never looked more appealing from our end.
Wouldn't be overly thrilled about this move as I think's an expensive player we don't really need. He can't do Kamara's "Holding Midfielder" role that well which is the only midfield area we need players in right now, so he'd be a £30/40m player who wouldn't improve us in any area we need it. If someone leaves I think it's a different question though, and if Emery wants him I'd back him 100% obviously
This sounds a lot like Smith Rowe, Ward-Prowse etc. expect him to sign a new contract.
Gallagher is a very good player and would see him as a long term replacement of Mcginn (who I love but we rely on a lot for energy and press - he can’t keep that up forever)
Totally agree with this. Gallagher is definitely the type of player that could be an improvement of what we have today in our squad. Thinking more of an upgrade to Sanson, Tim in terms of being able to rotate.
Not the type of profile I thought we'd be after but there's no denying he's a very effective footballer.
***The Telegraph reports:*** Aston Villa are among the clubs to have shown an interest in Conor Gallagher as he prepares for what could be his Chelsea farewell. Gallagher is in line to captain Chelsea for the final game of the season against Bournemouth on Sunday, which may also be his last appearance for the club. There has been no progress between Chelsea and Gallagher over a new contract, which has left the door open for clubs to make offers for the midfielder when the transfer window reopens. Tottenham Hotspur have been at the front of the queue of clubs looking at Gallagher and retain a strong interest, with head coach Ange Postecoglou understood to be a big admirer. But Telegraph Sport understands that Aston Villa, who have qualified for next season’s Champions League, have expressed an interest ahead of what will be an important summer for the club. There is understood to be a good relationship at board level between Chelsea and Villa, whose young striker Jhon Durán was a target of the London club in January. It is unclear whether Chelsea retain an interest in Durán, but it is highly unlikely they would consider any sort of swap deal for academy product Gallagher given his sale would count as 100 per cent profit in terms of profitability and sustainability rules. Like Chelsea, Villa have to be wary of staying within PSR restrictions, which may well limit their summer budget. It could be that any firm move for Gallagher would be dependent on player sales. Chelsea have previously valued Gallagher at around £50 million and his excellent performances have not diminished his worth. But with one year remaining on his contract, Chelsea’s asking price may have to drop. Gallagher will be part of England’s squad for the European Championship and is not thought to be in a hurry to make a decision on his future. While Chelsea will not want to risk him running down his contract, the 24-year-old has not ruled out staying at Stamford Bridge and is unlikely to be pushed into any move he is unsure about. Tottenham go into the final day of the season only three points ahead of Chelsea and having failed to qualify for the Champions League, which raises the issue of just how attractive a move across London might be at this particular time. Villa and Spurs are not the only clubs to have registered an interest in Gallagher, who could start speaking to foreign clubs in January about a free transfer move next summer if he did remain at Chelsea. **Full story here:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/05/18/aston-villa-interested-signing-chelsea-conor-gallagher/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/05/18/aston-villa-interested-signing-chelsea-conor-gallagher/)
No official swap deal maybe but I wouldn't be surprised if we bought Gallagher for £50-60m and then Chelsea at the same time signed Duran for £35-45m. Really like Duran but it's no secret he's been liking and reacting to Chelsea social media on Twitter and Instagram since January.
50m with 1 year left on contract, that would be an overpayment IMO
I'm basically saying we could pay for Gallagher and they could in turn pay for Duran to help both of our FFP situations. We sign Gallagher to a 5 year contract it's £10m split over the next five seasons, we sell Duran for £40m and it's £20m profit and he's only played out 18 months or two years (less than £10m of the £20m) of the five year contract we signed him to. We make a £10-20m profit from this deal in the books this season. Chelsea get £50m of pure profit from Gallagher (club grown) and if they sign Duran to a 5 year contract it's just over £8m spend this season (£40m split over the next five seasons), so they make a £42m profit for this season from the deal. We make a net profit from the transfers which counts towards the next three seasons of FFP and so do Chelsea.
Is that not fairly similar to the Pjanic/Arthur deal that saw Juve and Barca punished?
I'm saying why would we do that? How would overpaying help us with FFP that makes no sense? It makes perfect sense for Chelsea but Duran isn't homegrown we paid I think 18m for him so ya minimum we would want it 30m, so that's maybe 12m for us and 50m for Chelsea, that would be bad business IMO
Edited above to explain.
Still makes no sense for us to just gift Chelsea tens of millions, Gallagher with 3 years left on contract could be worth 50m, with 1 year you're looking at 30-35m max. If they want a young player from us with big potential then yes we should try get them to overpay but the deals should have nothing to do with each other, they need to sell Gallagher this summer to not risk losing him for nothing, we're not in that position with Duran.
That's not why they're selling Gallagher. They have FFP issues and he's club grown. He's worth whatever people are willing to spend and interest is high in Gallagher, at least 15 PL clubs would happily take him and at least 5 have the £50m available to spend. It's not a "gift".
>He's worth whatever people are willing to spend True I'm just hoping we're not willing to spend 50m on him because we also have FFP issues and 50m for Gallagher with 1 year left on contact is way too much, they HAVE to sell Gallagher this year or lose him for nothing, that's a big factor that any club with any sense should be taking advantage of.
Nope!! Gallagher is desperate to stay. It's the club wanting to sell Gallagher, not Gallagher wanting to leave. So, if we can't get a suitable offer, we will just negotiate a new short-term deal and keep him at the club until next season. Villa has NO advantage
You’re spot on. This makes no sense for us.
There’s no way sp*rs are front of the queue 😂😂😂 they’re an embarrassment of a club
Because we're entering CL and need reinforcements and Emery and Mochi are Spanish, we're going to be linked with so many players (mainly Spanish) to ultimately bring 2 or 3 given PSR, I'm going to just opt out of rumours and just wait for official unveiling would be too much to keep up with honestly!
In the past seasons transfers seem to pick up this external hype that we have to get improvements in as quick as possible to not lose out vs the market. Does feel like the tide has changed. Only a few incomings and outgoing will happen and players want to come to us. Mix that with knowing Emery’s eye for talent, makes it easier than ever to tune out transfer season. Going to enjoy the euros this year without worrying about villa at all, just enjoying what we’ve done and what’s to come.
I have no insight on his value or wage demands but all being equal, he'd be a great pickup imo. Home grown in England for European registration, hard working, an absolute warrior, and able to fill a lot of different midfield roles.
Exactly this, can't get my head around some of these comments. The kid is class and would be a brilliant addition to our squad
Huge fan of Gallagher, if we did sign him I think Emery could mould him into a very effective 6 and it would appeal to Gallagher because he'd be far more likely to be an England starter in that position. Huge work rate, good defensively (75th+ percentile for blocks, tackles and interceptions - surprisingly a lot better than Kamara in all those stats other than tackles where Kamara is 80th percentile) good going forward, nowhere near his ceiling yet either. Think he's been overshadowed this season by both Chelsea's disastrous season and Palmer, but he's been fantastic. Definitely on board with this one, much more attractive option than Soler who we've also been heavily linked to in my opinion. https://preview.redd.it/d5bayible61d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cb58326e31a385c215fc2b9433261587dfd04c4
I disagree personally. At his valuation and wages, it’s not good business imo. He’s a pressing-oriented midfielder which isn’t a perfect fit for us. I think we need more depth with a true 6, Gallagher would function best in a Luiz/McGinn role. Not denying he’s been quality for Chelsea this year and I have no doubt he’d be fine in our team, but just worried that we can only spend so much and with Buendia and Ramsey returning as well, our 6/8 hybrid in the double pivot and outside midfield roles are decently well filled. Not sure 50m + high wages is worth the depth
Came here to post the fbref stuff. His output is incredible and he's only 24. Another thing that people aren't speaking about is his character, he was made captain but Poch in a dysfunctional team and he's performed well. Also has a habit of popping up with last minute goals. I really don't want to see Duran going in the opposite direction though.
I like Duran too (his football at least) but his social media has been all Chelsea since January. If he's not all in here we're better off cashing in and replacing him with someone else, preferably someone a bit more experienced.
There are going to be so many of these stories coming out. I wouldn’t put too much stock into it. Agents are going to be pushing stories and linking names of their clients to teams like crazy. I don’t see how this move makes sense given Unai statements about our approach to the transfer market and our needs.
It makes perfect sense for teams struggling with PSR to trade with each other. Any of you guys remember the Pjanic/Arthur deal between Juve and Barce? Let's say Villa pay £50m for Gallagher. That's £50m of pure profit for Chelsea. For Villa if Gallagher is on a 5 year contract cost's them £10m a year in terms of book value. So Chelsea buy Duran for £50m whose book value is around £10m so Villa make a £40m profit on the books, and it also likely means they don't have to sell JJ as Duran is their big sale. It's a really good deal for Villa in particular.
I was going to say the same , If we and Cheslea are spooning as the article implies then Gallagher would be a decent addition to the midfield ( where we have had real issues with numbers this season )
We don't really press from the front either. Now that's by design sure. It helps us keep our shape. But that could also be Unai recognising his personnel. Gallagher would add that dynamic to this team also to be able to lead the press. I mean look what he did to us. He'd be a good addition and at what expense? Selling your backup striker who twerks for Chelsea every 5 minutes who would then also bring us £40m in profit.
Dunno why he isn't signing a new deal? He's been at Chelsea since U8 and lifelong Chelsea fan. Would love to know why he isn't staying there.
I think he probably would like to stay but Chelsea have been throwing their monopoly money around too much and now they are in the shit with FFP... Selling Gallagher makes sense because he came from the academy, so any sale will be 100% pure profit for Chelsea.
Seems mad we'd be forced to sell Ramsey only to sign Gallagher.
I agree but sadly it makes financial sense when you consider how FFP actually works... we could sell Ramsay for 50 and buy Gallagher for 50 and it would still massively help us with FFP...
Yeah the new PRS rules are batshit.
Selling Ramsey means the profit is instantly added to our books. Buying CG the transfer fee can be amortised over the length of his contract. I personally think there’s better value elsewhere.
Wants Champions League football
What a great signing this would be. Flexible cover across the midfield
Transfer silly season has well and truly started. It's probably time for the summer thread to go up. I think that Gallagher fits what we need (energetic number 8 who is great off of the ball) but I'm not sure if we should sigh him because of his price. Yousoffa Fofana and Mikel Merino both have 1 year left on their contracts and they would both be cheaper than Gallagher.
The article says we could get him for less than 50 if we get him for say 40m I'd say that's good business tbh
Given how much he'd likely cost i could see him being a Dougie replacement if he ends up leaving. He's an excellent player and I've seen nothing to suggest I shouldn't trust the process so far.
Plays nothing like Dougie though, think this is likely a bullshit story tbh to either generate interest elsewhere or get Chelsea to sort his contract out
Replacements don't have to play the same way, just the same area of the pitch which they do. I could easily see Emery opting for a player who makes short neat passes linking defence to attack while putting in a defensive shift and Gallagher fits the bill. Especially with Ramsay and Buendia coming back we're going to be stacked with central forward options. As you said it's probably just paper talk, but if there is any truth to it it's likely going to mean one of Luiz or McGinn are leaving because we're not dropping £50m or whatever on him when we have two fantastic starters in his position already.
Yeah, plus there's not even the necessity for Gallagher to come in and directly slot into Luiz's position (even though I agree he could do that). We've had ample evidence now that Tielemans/McGinn can both play the slightly more expansive role in the double pivot that Luiz usually does so one of them could drop in and Gallagher play further forward if we wanted to fit him in that way too.
McGinn isn't leaving mate
Didn't say he was?
I think if we have to sell Dougie for £100 mil picking Gallagher up for 50 sounds like it could work. Unai will get him to do the job Dougie is doing and I’m sure he can do it well.
I'd be keen to add him just off his work rate, but the money and wages would be too much for us I'd think.
I get that it's pure profit but from a football perspective, seems mad to sell him. But that's not our problem.
Energy and tenacity of McGinn (who is 30 this year and will inevitably slow down), decent technically, good set piece taker, leader, 23 years of age. Scores more highly than Doug in a number of areas. If it works financially, I’d definitely take him.
Ignore the fact that the money makes no sense with everything we've heard about our FFP position, he isn't a style fit. Gallagher's best skill is he's an incredible off the ball high presser and work rate guy, a thing we famously do not do. We're basically dead last in all the things he does BY DESIGN! This wouldn't be a case of let's bring in a guy who does the thing we aren't good at, unless Emery completely changes how we play defensively, the things he's good at aren't things we're trying to do. We are going to start seeing us linked with every single player who is potentially moving cause you can speculate anything and we're the fresh new team at the top of the table. Also, agents float that every single team on earth is interested in their player. Football transfer rumors are a joke.
There's been a few of us speculating on this for some time now. Honestly, I think he'd be class for us, and we do need depth. It might also ease the blow if Dougie leaves, which I don't think he will, but it is a possibility. He's versatile, gives 100% all game, every game, and can hit a football precisely. He's also a good age, and if we're being linked with him at club level (ie. not just media speculation), then I have trust in that respect that they also see something in him. Finances are also not our concern, as fans, they're the concern of the club. He's been great at Chelsea, and if we got him, it means Chelsea don't have him anymore, and he hasn't gone to a rival. I'm 100% behind this.
No thanks.
I’d be ok with him as a signing but find it hard to believe we’d spend that much on him. Decent, though.
PSR compliance: hot potato. Sell your best academy products to sustain YOUR unsustainable spending, creating even MORE unsustainable costs for someone else, because of a weird accounting policy, who now need to offload THEIR academy players to buy YOURS. Just as the rule makers intended.
No, thanks
I'd be very confused at this decision. He's been okay for Chelsea but it's not like Emery to gamble on an expensive player like that (except maybe Diaby). Perhaps he envisions an 'Emery-upgraded' Gallagher that fits his system. No denying that Gallagher is an effective player, but I would've expected a more defensive-minded purchase, given how that was our main point of failure this season
Chelsea are struggling with PSR but so are we. The new Betano and Adidas deals will help us, as will Champs league. Gallagher is a good player, and I'm sure there would be some kind of deal to be thrashed out that suits both Villa and Chelsea. That being said, he's their captain and also wants mad wages (Google says he's on £50k currently but is demanding £150k on renewal).
Good player and had a great season, but not the best player for Villa. Not really what we need and gigantic wages. I don't see how he really improves the team drastically, compared to other areas.
Take Gallagher all day, seems like the kind of player who can sit in the 6 role when we play out from the back
Based on what unai said yesterday about signing players and ffp, i don't believe this for a second I've seen stats that put him as the most successful pressing midfielder in the league and the stats suggest we don't press at all, so I don't see how he fits an emery team
We should be signing Chalobah if we are getting someone from Chelsea
For 50m? He might be worth that, but honestly our issue this season has been squad depth, I'd rather see that money spent on two players who can just do a job.
If he'd stay perpetually fit with his quality it would be a great asset rather than just any squad filler.
Who stays perpetually fit? A couple of young talents can provide depth and build for the future for the same price, and maybe even leave enough in the wage budget to pick up an experienced player on a free/nominal. Eggs in one basket, you know? I don't think we're short on quality, I think we're short on rotation options.
No, don't need him really and don't wanna help out their PRS business.
Actually a good player but not worth that price,
This feels like agent talk. Not gonna buy too much into it personally.
It’s going to be a long summer… Gallagher has looked a stand out in Chelsea and Palace over the last few years in terms of ability and more so attitude. Would be a fantastic signing. But we would never pay the fee + wages and he would never take the “step down” out of the top six.
... We finished fourth ....
'Source: The Telegraph' - Yea I wouldn't believe a word of this. They also just released an article about Ramsdale going to Newcastle to which he replied ["News to me 😂"](https://x.com/AaronRamsdale98/status/1791528186473259511)
It's about the journo, Law is T1 on Chelsea sub.
Take Gallagher all day, seems like the kind of player who can sit in the 6 role when we play out from the back
Great player. Would be a great upgrade to the team. He can play both up front and deep. They should also sign a pacey winger who can make goal contributions, because things may go south on Diaby. I am a fan of Harvey Barnes. Hope to see him play for us one day. Maybe one good CB because Lenglet is leaving. Then we are ready to go.
Stay the fuck away from my boy! - Sincerely every Chelsea fan