Speaking on Sky’s EFL young Talent, pundit Keith Andrews has said he believes Swansea City’s loaned in midfielder Conor Gallagher should head out on loan once again this summer.
20-year-old midfielder Conor Gallagher has been getting his first taste of senior football this season. Chelsea opted to send him out on loan last summer after an impressive campaign in their development squad and the youngster has not disappointed.
Gallagher spent the first half of the season with Charlton Athletic, where he starred in the Addicks midfield. The Chelsea loanee played in 26 games across all competitions for Charlton, scoring six goals and providing four assists before swapping London for Wales.
He joined Swansea City in the January transfer window in a deal to keep him at the Liberty Stadium for the rest of the season. Gallagher has gone on to impress with Swansea as well, registering five assists in 10 appearances before the suspension of the season.
Now with the summer transfer window coming up, it awaits to be seen what Chelsea have planned for Gallagher. The likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori were brought into the first-team after impressive stints in the Championship so it will be interesting to see if the same happens to Gallagher.
One man who thinks Chelsea should look to send Gallagher out on loan again is Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews. Andrews has delivered his verdict on Gallagher’s situation, saying he thinks he should head back out on loan again this summer. He said:
“When you look at it, 12 months ago at Chelsea this wouldn’t have even been a discussion, it would have been either he goes back on loan again or they sell him for a decent profit. I think now is a different scenario with Frank Lampard in charge. But those issues, the fact that there is a bit of competition in there.
“The other thing I would say is that he is still very, very young. I don’t see him going back there next season. I see him going back on loan because of his age. We talked about Ben White earlier, 22 years of age, the development he has had, the steps that he has had to take to get to this level, he is still 20, Conor Gallagher.
“So I don’t see any rush whatsoever in trying to get him into the Chelsea team. I think they’ll nurture him, they’ll use the loan market again, give him a longer contract and secure him long term. Because if you look at it again in a year’s time, some of those central midfielders might have moved on and an opportunity may have opened up. That’s assuming Frank Lampard is still there, of course.”
Do you agree with Andrews here? Should Chelsea send Gallagher out on another loan spell next season or should they look to bring him into the first-team picture at Stamford Bridge? Have your say in the poll below:
