west Ham lovers what is your say on this:WestHam Irons leading race to sign Conor Gallagher
The Chelsea midfielder has already been the subject of a rejected offer from the hierarchy at the London Stadium.
West Ham United are one of the two clubs in pole position to sign Chelsea’s central midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer, according to reliable journalist Nizaar Kinsella.
Is Conor Gallagher leaving Chelsea?
The Premier League midfielder is an academy graduate at Stamford Bridge having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to become a member of the first-team fold, but last season he fell significantly out of favour having made just 18 starts from 38 games in the top-flight, so he could want to look elsewhere to find more regular game time.
Back in August 2022, Simon Phillips, who is a reporter for the Blues, revealed when speaking to GiveMeSport that David Moyes’ side “made an enquiry” for the 23-year-old with Crystal Palace also holding an interest following his previous loan spell at Selhurst Park, though a deal at the time obviously failed to come to fruition.
Mauricio Pochettino has already sanctioned the sales of Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek who were also both academy products in the capital, and there’s a chance that the England international could be about to follow in their footsteps by heading for the exit door.
Are West Ham signing Conor Gallagher?
Taking to Twitter, Kinsella revealed that West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur are both going head-to-head to secure Gallagher who at this stage appears likely to end up in either E20 or N17 ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. He wrote:
“Chelsea are ready to sell Conor Gallagher despite his preseason appearances. It’s a direct battle between Tottenham and West Ham for his signature. He’ll cost around £35m with two years left on his Chelsea deal.”
Expanding in his column for the Evening Standard, the reporter stated that the Irons and Spurs are “leading the fight” for their target who is being “offered” to new clubs after being labelled “surplus to requirements” in SW6.
Since this story emerged, Fabrizio Romano has broken the news that the Hammers have seen an opening £40m offer rejected by Chelsea and revealed that the midfielder’s price tag has now increased to £50m.
West Ham are clearly serious about signing Gallagher to be revisiting a deal 12 months on, and it’s no surprise considering that he’s been dubbed a “warrior” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, so should he put pen to paper, he could be a fantastic acquisition for Moyes.
The Elite Management Agency client still managed to score three goals and provide one assist in the top-flight last season despite his limited minutes which saw him collect two man-of-the-match awards, not to mention that he also ranked in the 97th percentile for most attacking touches in the opposition’s penalty area.
Gallagher, who was named in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad for the 2022 World Cup and scored twice at the London Stadium in 2021, additionally has the flexibility to operate in six various roles over the pitch, including everywhere across the centre of the park and even out wide on the right wing, so he would provide the boss with plenty of versatility should he be able to agree a move to the Irons.
