Conor Gallagher should not be Chelsea’s FFP get out of jail free card

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart were all in attendance at the club’s swanky annual Christmas lunch at the start of this month, when Conor Gallagher made an on-stage appearance.

Seated on a stool next to the club’s former youth product Jody Morris, Gallagher was asked by host Chris Hollins what the proudest moment of his career so far had been. Without a moment’s hesitation, the midfielder replied: “Captaining the team.”

The room erupted in applause and Gallagher’s name was sung by the spectators inside the Great Hall at Stamford Bridge, just as it was in the home stands on Tuesday night, when the England international wore the captain’s armband again and was Chelsea’s best player in the Carabao Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out victory over Newcastle United.

Ahead of kick-off, Gallagher had won possession in the final third more times than any other player in Europe’s top seven leagues and only three Premier League players have won possession more often in total. It was not hard to see why, as he flung himself around the Stamford Bridge pitch.

If Gallagher’s appearance and the reaction he received at the annual lunch was a reminder why Boehly, Winstanley and Stewart should think twice before using the 23-year-old as a Financial Fair Play get out of jail free card, then Tuesday night should have provided categoric proof that January bids must not be considered for him – however long is left on his contract.

Gallagher hit the Newcastle crossbar with a lovely curling shot and produced at least three crucial blocks in a performance typical of his energetic style. He kept his cool to score his penalty in the shoot-out.

Of Chelsea’s outfield players, only Axel Disasi had played more minutes this season, before the defender was replaced in the 78th minute, and yet head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been unable to give any guarantees that Gallagher will not be sold – insisting it is a decision for the club and the player.

Gallagher will have 18 months remaining on his contract in the new year and Chelsea have been coy on his future, despite the player making it clear that his ambition is to stay at the place he calls home. Questions over whether bids in the next transfer window would even be considered have gone unanswered and speculation has been allowed to run wild.

Pochettino faced a similar scenario in 2019, when Tottenham Hotspur sold one of his best players, Mousa Dembele, in order to secure a transfer fee for the player. Daniel Levy and Spurs may have profited, but the Argentine’s team counted the cost.

Lewis Hall’s Newcastle career may not have taken off just yet, but many of those who were inside the Great Hall for the annual lunch and at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night will still be wondering why he was allowed to move away.

There is a sense of relief that Gallagher did not leave during the same summer in which sources claimed his name was on a list of Chelsea players who were available for transfer that was circulated around clubs.

Had West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, or even Newcastle, who were said to hold an interest, bid £50 million for Gallagher then there is a very real possibility that he would not have started the season at Stamford Bridge and would not have been around to make his appearance at the annual lunch.

Morris still remembers a 13-year-old Gallagher from his time coaching Chelsea’s young players and told Boehly, Winstanley, Stewart and Co that he had not been among the players he was convinced was heading straight to the top.

But, as Pochettino has found this season, Gallagher’s attitude, application and ability to learn catapulted him ahead of perhaps more talented players and that is also something that has earned the affection of supporters during what has been an uneasy time for Chelsea.

Gallagher has seen Chelsea spend over £300 million on four midfielders all younger than him – Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia – over the course of the past 12 months and yet never once has his head dropped or his attitude waivered.

He earned a silly red card against Brighton, but has generally been a dependable performer during a season so far mired in inconsistency for Chelsea.

Gallagher might not be a name that sends social media into a spin and his signature on a new contract may not inspire a series of celebratory gifs hailing Boehly and his Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali.

But, as Tuesday night showed again, he represents the soul of the club he grew up at and that should be priceless.