🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Conor Gallagher

[Clockwork 1,794]

Given our midfield injuries do we recall him?

[MoroccanBlue 5,383]

1 hour ago, Clockwork said:

Given our midfield injuries do we recall him?

No. LWB needs to be sorted more than anything. 

Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho being out is an anomaly. 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[lucio 5,418]

Baller scored again , if a recall is possible I’d be tempted for sure 

[Tomo 21,751]

On 05/12/2021 at 22:04, MoroccanBlue said:

No. LWB needs to be sorted more than anything. 

Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho being out is an anomaly. 

Thing is given how he likes them to drift into midfield I wouldn't be surprised to see Tuchel improvise with a CM in that position same way Pep did with Delph after Mendy's injury.

With his ability to play in multiple positions Conor will be as leading a candidate as anyone in the squad to do it.

[Stats 7,147]

6 goals, 3 assists this season. Like Mount albeit Mount has 1 more assist. What a goal he scored. He literally puts in top class performances for Palace every game. I can't the amount of MOTM performances he has had for them already. Should not sell for any amount and should defo be in the squad next season under all circumstances. 

[NikkiCFC 8,334]

14 minutes ago, Stats said:

6 goals, 3 assists this season. Like Mount albeit Mount has 1 more assist.

Mount is playing as an attacker, CG is MF. Cannot be compared really. 

[Pizy 18,942]

Definitely think Mase and Connor can play in the same XI. And what a hard working midfield that would be.

Imagine all 3 of Mount, Gallagher, and Kante. Imagine trying to play through that midfield as an opponent. They cover every blade of grass.

[DDA 9,941]

Reminds me of Owen Hargreaves and he was a class act.

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

15 minutes ago, DDA said:

Reminds me of Owen Hargreaves and he was a class act.

Harsh on Conor. He is way more powerful and has already scored more PL goals in his first 4 months than Hargreaves did in his entire career in all senior competitions.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Magic Lamps

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

13 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

Harsh on Conor. He is way more powerful and has already scored more PL goals in his first 4 months than Hargreaves did in his entire career in all senior competitions.

I think your overlooking the point of the comparison and purely focusing on stats.

I’d agree with @DDA, he is maybe more offensive minded than Hargreaves but he has similar sort of traits. He’s got that same energy, drive, thrust in terms of being able to just open up and get away from people as well as the ability he had to get around the park and get the ball back be it pressing high or in deeper positions. He’s very rounded. So was Hargreaves.

 

[NikkiCFC 8,334]

Only MFs in PL recent history who had seasons with double digits in both goals and assists are Gerrard, Lampard, KDB, Bruno and Eriksen. Some come close like Dele, Yaya...

But many of these players are classic AM. Conor is CM which makes it even better. I really think he can be that new Lamps, Gerrard level of player. Maybe this season he wont reach that especially 10 assists but he is still 21yo it will come with time. So excited for his future here.

[Mário César 1,280]

maybe is better recall him? 

 

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

8 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

I think your overlooking the point of the comparison and purely focusing on stats.

I’d agree with @DDA, he is maybe more offensive minded than Hargreaves but he has similar sort of traits. He’s got that same energy, drive, thrust in terms of being able to just open up and get away from people as well as the ability he had to get around the park and get the ball back be it pressing high or in deeper positions. He’s very rounded. So was Hargreaves.

 

Nah I think it is doing a huge injustice to Conor's ceiling comparing him to a player who was neat and tidy but a squad player for his entire career. All in, he did not manage to start 100 senior games, was not even a consistent starter for the worst bayern team in decades. He was ravaged by injuries, I give you that. Maybe a bit like the trajectory RLC is on atm, quite comparable tbf. If Conor only gecomes a player like that it would be a disappointment.

[Stats 7,147]

1 hour ago, NikkiCFC said:

Mount is playing as an attacker, CG is MF. Cannot be compared really. 

Wasn't comparing. More I am gloating at the fact that we have two academy graduates who are lighting the PL up.

[MoroccanBlue 5,383]

I see him wasted in a midfield two and more disciplinary responsibilities. Would love to see him in a midfield three alongside Mount and a proper DM. 
 

Mount Gallagher

         Rice

👀 

[Strike 7,492]

Was playing a deeper role for few games before playing in advanced midfield role again vs Everton. I think he comes in at the end of the season for one of the AMs rather than to play in the pivot. Billy for pivot, Gallagher at AM. 

[Vesper 30,213]

Chelsea can recall Gallagher now but should stay calm with youngster flourishing at Palace

https://theathletic.com/3013054/2021/12/13/Chelsea-can-recall-gallagher-but-should-stay-calm-youngster-flourishing-palace/

The evidence for Chelsea to recall Conor Gallagher from his intended season-long loan in January seems overwhelming.

By smashing the ball with his right foot into the top corner of Everton’s net on Sunday, Gallagher took his goal tally for Crystal Palace to an impressive six in 15 Premier League appearances. He also has three assists in that time.

Understandably, Chelsea fans are getting excited, not only about what the long-term future might bring but how the 21-year-old midfielder could help his parent club in the short term.

Like the majority of their season-long loan deals, Chelsea do have an option to cut it short and bring Gallagher back to the mothership next month. Why spend millions in the January window when you have one of England’s finest emerging young talents, proven in the Premier League, to call upon to improve your squad?

The academy graduate is, no surprise, loving life at Selhurst Park. But nobody should be in any doubt, his ambition and desire are to break through into the Chelsea senior squad. Should the call come in January, he would answer it.

Cutting the loan short seems to be a no-brainer to many, not just because of his talent, but due to the various issues Chelsea’s midfielders are going through. All have been suffering from various ailments and are feeling the strain of the schedule. It is why coach Thomas Tuchel had to pair right wing-back Reece James with Ross Barkley there against Zenit Saint Petersburg in their Champions League group finale last week.

Due to his ability to find the net, there is an argument Gallagher is required anyway. Chelsea have had 16 different goalscorers across their 16 Premier League games so far, but nobody in the squad has more than his six. Mason Mount is also on six but the rest, including the £200 million-plus trio of Romelu Lukaku (three), Kai Havertz (two) and Timo Werner (one), have fewer.

However, it’s very easy to get carried away. Chelsea will not be making any rash decisions. The fact that Tuchel ruled out the possibility of recalling Gallagher only last month is a huge indication of the club’s thinking.

He said: “It is important for him to be happy where he is and not change things. It is important to be calm.

“It is too early to talk about recalling him in public before we talk with Conor himself and what his goals are. This will happen in the summer, as we all agreed to the decision that we wanted to send him to Palace.”

Minds can be changed, and it is concerning that Mateo Kovacic has now gone nearly two months without a league appearance, initially due to a hamstring problem and currently due to testing positive for COVID-19. N’Golo Kante has been in and out of the side all season because of niggling injuries. The most recent of his 13 games was three weeks ago, and ended with him limping off before half-time against Juventus with a knee problem.

Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have been playing a lot in their absences, but Tuchel has revealed they’ve also been suffering from some discomfort. The former has had difficulties with his back and the latter had to pull out of that Zenit game last week after picking up an injury in the warm-up. Both started against Leeds United at the weekend, though.

Yes, Gallagher could come back in to help relieve the strain on this quartet. But the situation might look very different come January. For example, Kante and Kovacic are both resuming training this week.

If all four players are available for selection to play in the double No 6 roles in Tuchel’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system, who will Gallagher be picked instead of? As gifted as the youngster is, the Champions League-winning trio of Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic are going to be ahead of him in the pecking order if fit. Loftus-Cheek shouldn’t be underestimated either. He has made 98 appearances for the Chelsea senior side and has been enjoying a bit of a renaissance this season.

And although Saul Niguez has struggled since joining on loan from Atletico Madrid in the summer, it will be a big call by Tuchel to unsettle him further by recalling a youngster yet to make his official Chelsea debut from loan to go ahead of him in the queue.

There would be a bit of a debate whether playing that position would negate some of Gallagher’s attacking instincts. He describes himself as a box-to-box midfielder and he has been given licence to get into forward positions at Palace. But he plays on the right of a three-man midfield for Patrick Vieira, with the comfort of a bit more protection behind.

In saying that, Tuchel has opted for a three-man midfield a few times and also encouraged one of the “double six” to play higher up the pitch occasionally. Gallagher would still fit in if the opportunity arose.

The other option is to use Gallagher as one of the No 10s behind the centre-forward. But this is another area where Chelsea have lots of people to choose from — Havertz, Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mount and Barkley (if he doesn’t leave in January). Loftus-Cheek could also be pushed up there, should a few players go missing for one reason or another.

In other words, ending his loan early is a big call for Gallagher, let alone Chelsea, to make.

Right now, he is benefitting from featuring regularly, working on his game, earning Premier League experience and building that self-belief. Should that be jeopardised for what will surely be a bit-part role for the second half of the campaign back at Stamford Bridge?

Gallagher forced his way into the last England squad — albeit after some withdrawals — off the back of his Palace form. That will surely play a factor too, with the youngster wanting to play as much as possible to have a chance of making the World Cup squad next November.

It’s worth noting Nathan Ake was in the same boat as Gallagher in January 2017. The Dutch defender was recalled early by Chelsea from his Bournemouth loan after impressing — despite making just 12 appearances. Manager Antonio Conte wanted an extra body in for the title run-in, yet Ake ended up playing just five times in total in over four months after returning from the south coast. His only Premier League start — he made just two appearances in the league — was in the penultimate game, after the title had been won.

There is the argument Gallagher can start learning from Tuchel and catch his attention earlier, before he starts thinking about additions he would like to make in the summer transfer window. But the German admires him already, so there is no rush.

“I loved him from day one,” Tuchel added in November. “As a team-mate, I would have loved to play with him. It is a pleasure to know him, I am super happy that it has worked out so well. He needs to keep his feet on the ground.”

And where better to do that than under Vieira at Palace?

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

 

[NikkiCFC 8,334]

Carragher also put him in team of the season so far.

Team of the season (4-3-3): Aaron Ramsdale; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Rudiger, Cancelo; Conor Gallagher, Rice, Bernardo Silva; Salah, Jota, Foden.

Neville team:

Team of the season (3-4-3): Alisson; Virgil van Dijk, Ruben Dias, Antonio Rudiger; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Rodri, Declan Rice, Joao Cancelo; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Phil Foden.