It would have been understandable if Conor Gallagher had given up on his Chelsea career.
The Blues made it clear he was free to leave in the summer and in the last two transfer windows have spent almost £300million on four new midfielders in his position.
But, after a summer of uncertainty ended with a proposed move to Tottenham falling through on deadline day,
Gallagher has knuckled down to become a key player in Chelsea’s recent mini-revival under Mauricio Pochettino.
The 23-year-old has shown exemplary resilience and, in the absence of the injured Reece James, has led the team brilliantly as stand-in captain on their four-game unbeaten run.
As James closes in on a return after two months out, Gallagher will again be one of the first names on the team sheet when Chelsea host Brentford tomorrow.
Gallagher’s leadership, exceptional pressing and ability to link midfield with attack have been essential in helping the Blues kickstart their season after a slow start. In last Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, Pochettino used Gallagher as a false nine to create a box-midfield four.
That tactical surprise stifled Martin Odegaard and the Arsenal midfield, helping Chelsea produce arguably their best performance of the season.
A late collapse cost them three points but Gallagher once again demonstrated his great connection with £200m duo Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in midfield.
Despite Chelsea being willing to offload Gallagher in the summer, Pochettino always made it clear he wanted him to stay. His renaissance has led to talk of a new contract but Gallagher is yet to be offered a deal and when the January window opens he will be in the final 18 months of his contract.
Chelsea, who have also signed Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu and view Carney Chukwuemeka as a key part of their plans, are usually open to selling players when they get to that stage of their deal.
But Gallagher has won over Pochettino, who now has more sway over transfers and will have increased power to secure his future.
