Conor Gallagher [23]

Chelsea’s abysmal 2023 has extended over the last few months and their overall market has dropped by €16.2million in the latest Transfermarkt update. Only Manchester United’s squad valuation has dropped more than Chelsea but, remarkably, their squad remains the third most valuable in the English Premier League at €982.8m, behind just Manchester City and Arsenal. Their ranking is predominantly down to their squad and their massive investment in the transfer market across recent windows. Chelsea spent €467.8m in the summer, more than €200m more than any other club, although they recouped €269.4m in player sales. Chelsea also spent €611.49 during the 2022/23 season and their total expenditure of €742.03m across the last three windows is more than double second biggest spenders Manchester United.

The January transfer window is beginning to take shape, and despite being the top perfomer for Chelsea this season when it comes to assists, chances created, tackles and interceptions, Conor Gallagher, who has been Chelsea's captain on eleven occasions in the Premier League this term, could be leaving the club this month. The 23-year-old English midfielder was heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge last summer, and rumours of an exit are emerging again this winter.

Chelsea got back to winning ways on Saturday, with a 1-0 win over Fulham in the Premier League just four days after their 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in the English League Cup. Although the result suggests a hard-fought clash between both teams, in truth it was a match that Mauricio Pochettino’s side dominated for large parts and undoubtedly should have scored more goals in. And offered a number of encouraging signs to concerned fans of the Stamford Bridge club. 

It was quite fitting that Conor Gallagher was the man to spare Mauricio Pochettino’s blushes against Crystal Palace. The Chelsea manager has been under intense pressure after a dismal season and that looked like intensifying with Palace holding a 1-0 lead at half-time.

The Premier League season is finally over and while fans take in the last 10 months of football and consider whether their clubs improved or went backwards, it’s worth considering which players came through at each club and really shined. Although the English top-flight is well known for typically buying the best players from around Europe, that doesn’t mean young stars can’t get promoted from their youth academies and go on to shine for their boyhood clubs. And this season’s league has highlighted a number of young stars that have become pivotal to their team’s success. 

Few Premier League clubs will need to ensure they do everything with perfect precision in this summer’s transfer window quite like Chelsea. Having recently appointed a new head coach in Enzo Maresca, the Stamford Bridge side now have to navigate the murky waters of the transfer market in an attempt to sell the players they no longer want, whilst bringing in crucial new signings to bolster a squad that struggled to compete for a top-four finish last season. 

Reports emerged last week that could potentially have a significant impact on the early stages of the pending summer transfer window. According to Sky Sports News, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Leicester City all must offload players before June 30 in order to comply with the league's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). The deadline at the close of June marks the end of the financial year for Premier League clubs, and they face a fight to stay in line with the regulations. PSR dictates a maximum loss allowance of £105 million (€124m) over three years. These six clubs are in danger of exceeding that limit and facing potential sanctions if they fail to balance the books before the deadline. We already saw both Everton and Nottingham Forest deducted points last season.

There’s a number of top players entering the last year of their contracts. The prospect of losing valuable assets for free will spark panic amongst senior club figures and decisions will need to be made on their futures. 

Chelsea’s revolving door approach to the summer transfer window seems to be showing no signs of slowing down, as the club brace for another big star departing Stamford Bridge in the coming days. According to reports in England, the Premier League giants have agreed a fee of €40 million with Atletico Madrid for England international Conor Gallagher and expect the sale to be completed upon the player accepting contract terms with the LaLiga side. Should Gallagher move for that price, it will take Chelsea’s income from player sales up to a startling €141m - which would make the London club the biggest earners from transfer fees across all of Europe’s top leagues so far this summer. 

Conor Gallagher is on the verge of becoming the latest Chelsea academy star to depart Stamford Bridge. The England international is heading to Atlético Madrid as he isn't part of Enzo Maresca’s plans and Chelsea have decided to cash in on the midfielder with his contract to expire next summer. For years, Chelsea’s youth academy was comfortably the best in England and they won the prestigious FA Youth Cup five years in a row between 2013 and 2018.