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Chelsea's decision to let Conor Gallagher leave the club left pundit Chris Sutton surprised. The 24-year-old joined Atletico Madrid this summer, ending an association that lasted nearly two decades with the Blues.
Gallagher joined the club's academy as a 6-year-old and went on to represent the club across different youth age levels. Before making his senior team debut in August 2022, his development journey took him on loan spells to Charlton Athletic, Swansea City, West Bromwich Albion, and Crystal Palace.
Former Chelsea striker Sutton told Tribal Football that he was left impressed by the midfielder's performances for the club last season.
"I actually thought he was Chelsea's second best player last season and that's, you know, that's the most important thing," said the pundit. "I was convinced. He was a real driving force in the middle of the park."
He admitted that the club have lost an 'excellent player'.
"We know what Chelsea, are you know, their model and what they're trying to do. But I think that they've lost an excellent player in Conor Gallagher and at this moment in time, I think, you know, most people would say the same," Sutton said.
Gallagher joined Atletico Madrid earlier this week in a deal reported to be worth £34 million.
"I was surprised Chelsea let Gallagher go": Sutton
The Blues signed Leicester City's young midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as a replacement for the departing Englishman. Sutton, however, said that if he had to pick between the two, he would choose Gallagher over the former Leicester youngster.
He highlighted Gallagher's connection with the fans as an important factor and accepted that the decision by the club left him bemused.
"Well, it's Gallagher. I mean, the fans were singing Conor Gallagher's name yesterday, weren't they? I mean, that's another strange situation. I've got to say, I was surprised that Chelsea have let Gallagher go. (But) I think Dewsbury-Hall is a decent replacement," he said.
"If you had a straight pick between Gallagher and Dewsbury-Hall, then you'd probably go towards Gallagher. But as I say, they're slightly different players, so that's probably slightly unfair on Dewsbury-Hall," Sutton concluded.
Gallagher played 50 games for the Blues last season and in Reece James' absence, regularly donned the armband for the club he supported as a kid. Gallagher made 95 overall appearances for his boyhood club, in which he scored 10 goals. He was also part of the England squad that reached the final of the 2024 Euros in Germany.
