‘There was no need to spin it that Conor wasn’t wanted’

Leaving a club you love, and where the fans have reciprocated those feelings is tough. I have been in that situation with Chelsea, so I can appreciate what Conor Gallagher may be going through at the moment. He’ll be a loss to the Premier League, no doubt. Summer transfers and the jeopardy of how things can pan out is the main thrust of my feature today.

The painful Gallagher saga with Chelsea may be drawing to a close as Atletico Madrid agree terms. The player who undoubtedly loves the club and is loved by the fans has been made to feel as popular as Pep Guardiola at a Real Madrid fans convention.

The ‘legacy’ fans are particularly distraught, but they also understand this is little more than pure economics. He is a home-grown talent, ‘straight outta Cobham’, as it were and that means he represents pure profit when he is sold on.

The club needs the Gallagher income to boost the coffers having spent more than a billion pounds, only to discover they have the looming Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules to consider. Chelsea have already managed to bring in nearly £90million on the sales of Ian Maatsen, Omari Hutchinson and Lewis Hall this summer, great business that will scarcely weaken the first team.

They have made an amazing £180m profit in youth sales in the Clearlake era alone, but clearly more is wanted/needed. The England star, the club’s most committed performer last season, a sometime captain and a true fans favourite is the next one to be nudged out.

I know the feeling well, almost exactly the same thing happened to me all those decades ago when I left Chelsea. I wanted to stay but the club wanted and maybe even needed the money. I didn’t bad mouth the club I loved and didn’t want to leave, but part of the bargain was that I expected to get the same level of respect and fairness in return from the club. They were classy enough to play their part.

So there was no need to spin it that Conor wasn’t wanted because of the new possession style. The club have been keen to cash in on him for a season or more, the fans know this so don’t insult their intelligence with that line. I would wish Conor the best whether he ended up in a Spanish villa or Aston Villa. He just needs somewhere his talents and fabulous attitude are valued.

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