Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher has spoken out on how Diego Simeone played a key role in talking to him and preparing for him for life in the Spanish capital when his transfer from Chelsea temporarily hit complications this summer.
The England international ended up joining Atletico from Chelsea after a lengthy saga, and at one point had to return to London for training with the Blues, even though it eventually turned out fine and the player made the move to Spain.
During those complicated moments, it seems Gallagher had important talks with Simeone, who vowed that the club would do what they could to sign him, which will have been important for the player to hear at that difficult and uncertain time…
Gallagher was a key player for Chelsea last season and in many ways must feel unfortunate to have been shipped out by the west London outfit after being so consistent and hard-working for the team for so long.
The 24-year-old came up through the Chelsea academy and looked like someone who could be a key player for the club for many years to come, though circumstances just didn’t quite align that way for him in the end.
Gallagher transfer: Will Chelsea regret letting him go?
Chelsea may well feel they did good business in the end as they sold Gallagher for decent money when he had just a year left on his contract, with that fee also going down as pure profit due to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules when it comes to academy players.
Other clubs also cashed in on homegrown talents this summer, with the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe sold by Arsenal, while Scott McTominay was allowed to leave Manchester United.
Gallagher, however, was arguably more important for CFC than those players were for their clubs, so it could be that this one will come back to haunt the Blues if other midfielders like Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo don’t raise their game.