West Ham worried about missing out on Conor Gallagher as he wants to fight for place
West Ham have begun to fear that they won’t be able to secure the services of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher as the England international wants to fight for his place at Stamford Bridge, according to the Daily Mail.
The 23-year-old has been a target for David Moyes and the Irons since Declan Rice departed the London Stadium, with a £40m bid being turned down earlier this week amid interest from Tottenham and Newcastle.
But Gallagher wants to remain on the blue side of the capital, with Chelsea going through their own midfield revolution this summer, he wants to stake his claim to be a key player in the upcoming Premier League season.
Discussing the midfielder’s position, Kieran Gill wrote: “There is a growing realisation among those interested that the England midfielder does not want to leave, largely due to his fondness of his new manager.
“Pochettino has said during their pre-season tour of the United States that Gallagher is a part of his plans. The academy graduate has two years left on his current contract with Chelsea and scored in both of their friendly wins over Wrexham and Brighton in the US in the last week.”
A tough sell
It’s completely understandable that a boyhood Chelsea fan would take some convincing to depart Stamford Bridge, especially in a summer that has seen Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic leave their stations in the middle of the park.
Gallagher will see this season as his opportunity to become the main man in centre midfield, especially with Pochettinho’s appointment as coach offering him a completely clean slate to work from.
Last season the midfielder was offered multiple chances to leave the Bridge on a temporary basis, but instead he preferred to operate in a bit-part role for the Blues, making 18 starts in the Premier League.
That only demonstrates his genuine love and affection for Chelsea, leaving West Ham to not only wonder about the Blues’ willingness to accept their transfer offer, but whether Gallagher would accept afterwards.
The more that comes out about this transfer, the less and less likely it feels that a deal could be agreed that suited all parties and the Hammers’ frustration will only be growing as the seemingly impossible task of replacing Rice continues on.
In other West Ham news, the Irons have submitted their first offer for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse