Alan Shearer felt that Conor Gallagher’s time at Chelsea was always going to be challenging due to the presence of two key players at the club.
Gallagher had been one of Chelsea’s standout performers last season, and many fans were upset and frustrated when the club sold him to Atletico Madrid in Spain.
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The 24-year-old England international, who came up through Chelsea’s academy, found no place in the team after…Continue Reading
Chelsea invested £107 million in Enzo Fernandez during the January transfer window of last year, and later spent £115 million on midfielder Moises Caicedo in August 2023.
‘The issue Gallagher had was when Chelsea started paying the vast amounts of money for people like Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez,’ Shearer told Betfair.
‘Then it was always going to be difficult for a local lad to stay and play because, essentially, those players have to play to justify the transfer fee.
‘That leaves people like Gallagher with a decision to make because you’re not going to play regularly, they’re always going to be ahead of you.
‘And they’ll always be on more money than you, so you have to say good luck to the guys that do choose to go abroad.’
Gallagher has played seven La Liga games for Atletico Madrid so far and has scored two goals, which came against Valencia and Rayo Vallecano last month.
‘Young English players should never be afraid of moving abroad, like Conor Gallagher, and so many players are doing that now,’ Shearer added.
‘He followed the footsteps of Tammy Abraham, Loftus-Cheek, Bellingham, Tomori to name a few, and if you’re not getting the recognition or game time at your football club over here in England, then I’m full of admiration for the players that are willing to go and ply their trade abroad.
‘Everything’s different, even more so if you have children and It’s great for them because they’re able to learn a different language.
‘It’s great for you if you’re playing on a regular basis and great that you’ve been brave enough to take that leap.’
