Is Chelsea Making a Blunder By Selling Gallagher to Atletico Madrid?
In the early hours of Monday 5th August 2024, renowned football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano released the exclusive story that Connor Gallgher has decided to join Atletico Madrid from Chelsea. This followed an intense week of negotiations where several rumors have claimed the Cobham graduate will be moving away from Chelsea after being deemed not good enough to play the possession-heavy style of new manager, Enzo Maresca.
The story contained Romano’s signature tag, ‘‘Here We Go.’’ For anyone who regularly follows football transfers, after those magical words from Romano, it’s safe to say Gallagher will be playing his club football in Spain next season, barring any extraordinary turn of events in the next few days.
Several reactions have trailed the news since its release. The ‘Chelsea ultras’ have been the most vocal about the development, condemning the move, and taking the opportunity to register their displeasure at how the new Boehly-Clearlake ownership is running the London club (especially in relation to how home grown players have been consistently sold).
You will recall that Chelsea academy graduates such as Ruben Loftus Cheek, Mason Mount, and Lewis Hall have already been sold by the current ownership. Apart from the Gallgher to Atletico Madrid transfer, Chelsea is still expected to ship out more academy graduates such as Trevor Chalobah and Armando Broja this year.
Is Chelsea Making a Mistake Again?
From the fans’ point of view, yes, Chelsea are about to make another transfer mistake. But are they right? Well, it is safe to say the London club has made its fair share of transfer mistakes in recent years. The sales of Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah, and Thibaut Courtois quickly come to mind. All of these transfers have been monumental failures, but we don’t think that’s enough reason to say Chelsea will regret the Gallagher to Atletico Madrid sale. And this is not to say they may not yet regret it.
For starters, no team gets their transfer strategies 100% spot on. Just last season, Manchester City shipped out Cole Palmer, a player who ended up with the highest number of goals and assists in the Premier League the same season. Ironically, Chelsea benefitted from this. However, the same Man City has made many outstanding transfers, including buying De Bruyne from Wolfsburg after he was let go by Chelsea.
It is also important to understand that under the current ownership, the Chelsea transfer strategy is to go for technically gifted players. We have seen this with the acquisition of Enzo, Palmer, Caicedo, Jackson, Gusto, and the Brazilian wonderkid, Estevao Willian. The sporting directors have also hired a possession-obsessed coach in Marsesca. Gallagher for all his amazing attributes may not fit this style of play. In fact, the former Crystal Palace loanee lost his place in the England starting eleven in the last Euros to Manchester United’s teenager Kobbie Mainoo because the manager doesn't think he is a progressive passer.
A Win-Win?
From all indications, this transfer might be a win-win for every party involved. From the London club’s point of view, they will be netting a handsome €40m transfer fee from the deal. Receiving such an amount from the sale of their academy star will go a long way in ensuring they meet up with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Gallagher being a home grown player means the transfer fee will be recorded as pure profit. This also means Chelsea transfers for the 2024/2025 season will receive a major boost. The team still needs a striker, and a left winger.
For Connor Gallagher, things are not entirely gloomy. On the sporting side, he will be playing for a football team that will properly utilize his most important attributes as a player. Gallagher is a pressing monster, and a box to box midfielder with supremely gifted defensive attributes. This will make him one of the first names on Diego Simeone’s team sheets. He will also play in the UEFA Champions League, a competition Chelsea has not qualified for. It’s also expected that he will want to keep his place in the Three Lions squad, and playing regularly at the Estadio Metropolitano Stadium will only strengthen his claim.
The Bottom Line
The 2024 summer transfer window has ushered in a lot of discourse, with Connor Gallagher’s potential move from Chelsea to Atletico Madrid one of the major talking points. As expected, many of Chelsea’s traditional followers are against the move, as they believe selling another academy product means the new ownership is on the course of ripping up the Chelsea identity that homegrown players bring to the table.
On the other hand, the ownership believe they are moving on a valuable asset who doesn’t fit into the club’s new playing philosophy. When you factor in the fact that this asset has only a year left on his current contract, and that the potential transfer fee could help the club in meeting the financial regulations of the FA and UEFA, you will probably understand why sanctioning this move makes a lot of sense to them.
In essence, this is a classic example of perspectives. None of the sides are outrightly wrong, as each believes they are making a decision that makes the most sense based on the information currently available to them. Gallagher could go on to have an amazing career at Atletico Madrid, and the Chelsea fans will be able to tell the board, ‘we told you so.’ But then, football is a crazy old sport, the midfielder could end up not progressing beyond his current level; remember Mason Mount? Nothing is cast in stone in football transfers, and only time will tell who is right or wrong!