Conor Gallagher says he is not bitter about his Chelsea exit and believes he was part of Enzo Maresca’s plans.
The England midfielder also insists he is “really happy with the outcome” of the transfer saga that eventually ended with him joining Atletico Madrid for £35.8million plus add-ons.
The fee counted as pure profit on Chelsea’s balance sheet as he is an academy graduate. Gallagher was reportedly set for a reduced regular role in the team under new manager Maresca.
But the 24-year-old, who was one of Chelsea’s key players under Mauricio Pochettino last season, said: “I don’t think that’s true personally.
“Last season I had a good season with Chelsea, and you could see by Pochettino playing me every game and showing his trust in me. The fans appreciated what I did on the pitch.
“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.”
It was put to Gallagher, who is with England ahead of Nations League games against Ireland and Finland, that the perception is that he was pushed out of Chelsea to ease financial pressure on the club.
“Honestly, with Chelsea I have only got good things to say,” he said. “Amazing football club, my boyhood club where I grew up through the academy. I leave Chelsea with really special memories.
“In football, things happen. As everyone knows, there was a lot going on over the few weeks that it was all happening with Chelsea and Atletico trying to agree a deal.
“Other situations came into it, but I was always confident the deal would go through because of how the manager [Diego] Simeone and the club spoke about me and to me. I’m really happy with the outcome.”
Gallagher admitted being in limbo in a Madrid hotel while Samu Omorodion’s inverse move from Ateltico to Chelsea broke down was “strange”.
He added: “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.”
Chelsea fans sang Gallagher’s name in his absence at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season as the Blues lost 2-0 to Manchester City.
“That takes me back to my point that I’m really thankful for the support and love Chelsea fans have shown me, not just last season but since my departure,” he says. “I feel a lot of love for the fans.”
