
Chelsea
Premier League • England
Impending Chelsea sale of ‘best player’ is ‘unacceptable’ as Boehly plan branded ‘lunacy’

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly could "sacrifice" Conor Gallagher, in a decision branded "lunacy"
Jeff Stelling feels it is “unacceptable” that Conor Gallagher, the best player at Chelsea “by a street” this season, “might have to be sacrificed” in a decision branded “lunacy.”
One of the main talking points at Stamford Bridge this season, beyond how poor the Blues have been, is the future of midfield star Gallagher. In January, he was being courted by Tottenham, who have shot back towards the upper echelons of the table under Ange Postecoglou.
Gallagher did not leave Chelsea, though the board did little to attempt to stop him from being able to do so.
Indeed, TEAMtalk reported that they were open to offers for Gallagher and some other stars, and that was something that did not sit well with Mauricio Pochettino.
A subsequent TEAMtalk exclusive stated Pochettino was pushing for the board to offer his midfielder a new deal, as he was disappointed by their previous attempts to let him go.
But there’s now serious pressure on the manager’s job, and if there’s nobody pushing for Gallagher to stay, given previous efforts from the board, he might well be allowed to leave in the summer.
Indeed, Chelsea have already drawn up a list of potential replacements, including Ruben Amorim and Thomas Frank.
Meanwhile, Gallagher remains on the radar of Tottenham as they look to continue their push back towards the top.
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Chelsea sacrifice is ‘lunacy’
Football pundit Stelling has detailed how the decision to sell Gallagher is one that might be coming to fund a rebuild, but he sees that sale as an insane choice, as Chelsea would be getting rid of their best asset this season.
“Now we’re in the situation where people know Chelsea need to rebuild, but they can’t afford a rebuild,” he said on talkSPORT.
“And the lunacy of it is Conor Gallagher, their best player this season by a street, might have to be sacrificed so they can start some sort of rebuild. Completely unacceptable.”
Indeed, other than perhaps Cole Palmer, Gallagher has been the best player for the Blues this season.
He is also one of the most saleable assets that they’d actually part with – recent big-money signings like Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are unlikely to be shown the door.
Blues rebuilding in the wrong manner
It seems Todd Boehly has been attempting to rebuild Chelsea from the moment he waked through the door.
That’s the reason he’s spent north of £1billion in under two years, and has largely prioritised signing under-25 players that will come good in the future.
However, the consequence of that is a lot of academy players have been sacrificed so money is available to be spent. The sales of the likes of Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi have slowly killed the heart of the club.
Players who care have been shipped out, and big names who have no affinity to the club have replaced them. If Gallagher – another academy player who has captained the side – is shown the door, the sale will represent the latest in a long line of wrong moves by Boehly.
Chelsea have one of the best academies in the world, and they could rebuild by simply putting more time and effort into the players they have coming through the ranks – Alfie Gilchrist could follow in Gallagher’s footsteps, but what’s needed are role models to show the academy players they have something to work towards.
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