Simon Jordan says Conor Gallagher’s departure from Chelsea is no cause for panic as he predicts the Blues will do well this season.
As The Pitch Prospect has learned, Gallagher has completed his medical with Atletico Madrid, ending his 16-year association with the west London club.
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The 24-year-old, who wore the captain’s armband for the Blues on several occasions last season, is set to sign his five-year contract shortly, completing his £33 million transfer.
His impending departure has not gone down well with Chelsea fans, who are very disappointed to see a homegrown player with Cobham running through his veins leave.
But Simon Jordan, co-host of The Pitch Prospect’s White and Jordan, is not so sure Blues fans should be so outraged, saying he is not the be-all and end-all of the club’s chances of success.
When Jim White explained that he believed it was a big step for a player of Gallagher’s age, the former Crystal Palace owner said: “If you’re going from a London club or a leading English Premier League club to Real Madrid or Barcelona, then absolutely, regardless of the difficulties Chelsea have had recently.”
“Oh, come on,” White interjected. “Simon, that’s not [a] bad [move].”
“Of course it’s not bad,” Jordan replied. “And it’s not bad for Conor Gallagher. I think Conor Gallagher seems to get a reputation as being some kind of world-class player and the reason they might be successful is nonsense.”
“They got £40 million for a mediocre player, not a bad player, an international player with a certain recognition.”
After coming through Chelsea’s academy, Gallagher was loaned to Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and then Crystal Palace.
He then made the jump to the first team and made a total of 95 appearances, scoring 10 goals and providing 10 assists.
But despite his role in the team over the past two seasons, Jordan believes Chelsea will do well without him.
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He continued: “I listened to Darragh [MacAnthony] makes a very good point with Alex Crook regarding the outrage over the sale of Conor Gallagher.
“How many people watched England and said, ‘You know what, we need Conor Gallagher on the pitch because we’re not going to win anything without him!’
“So the reality is that Chelsea did some business, he did some good business. He went down the same path as Kieran Trippier, which was leaving a football club. Nobody could have imagined at the time why Trippier left Spurs, could they?
“And he went to Atletico, resurfaced in England with even greater potential to become an English player and went to Newcastle, a very popular project where there was no financial backing.”
Nevertheless, Jordan has praised Gallagher for his performance while on loan at Palace in the 2021/22 season.
“Oh, I like his energy,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it, he’s an honest player. He’s one of those players you can bet on every single game and you know he’s going to score seven out of 10 points in every game.”
“But he is not an exceptional player. At Palace he gave the team enormous dynamism. He worked from the first to the 90th minute.”
And while Gallagher moves on, Jordan expects Chelsea to surprise this season under new boss Enzo Maresca
And this despite the disappointing recent seasons and the question marks regarding the management of the club by owners Todd Boehly and Co.
“I expect Chelsea to turn things around,” he said, “regardless of how much the owners spend, because it is their own money that they are spending and perhaps wasting.”
“I still believe Chelsea will surprise people this season, I really believe that.”
Chelsea starts the season next Sunday against Manchester City.