Conor Gallagher - Going to Athletico (p81)
DONE DEAL | Charlton sign Conor Gallagher on loan from Chelsea
2nd August 2019 11:30am
Charlton Athletic have completed the signing of Conor Gallagher on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The highly-rated midfielder, who was Chelsea’s academy Player of the Year last season, becomes Lee Bowyer’s eighth signing of the summer and will travel with his new teammates on Friday ahead of the Addicks curtain raiser against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
The 19-year-old, who will wear the number 11 this season, said: “I’m buzzing! I’m very happy to be here and can’t wait to get started. I wanted to play in the Championship and Charlton is a great club to come to. I just want to play as much as possible and the opportunity is there to do that here.”
Gallagher is the first loan signing of the summer and follows in the footsteps of last season’s midfield loanees Krystian Bielik and Josh Cullen. The pair improved dramatically during their time at The Valley and played a pivotal role in the Addicks' promotion to the Championship.
Bowyer was in high spirits talking about the Charlton new boy: “He’s an exciting young player. He can put his foot in, create, score and has a bit of everything so I’m over the moon to have him through the door. Clubs like Chelsea recognise what we have done previously with the young midfielders we had last season and this will be no different. I’d like to thank them for the part they played in Conor coming to us.”
Head of Recruitment Steve Gallen has watched Gallagher regularly for Chelsea’s U23s and is very pleased with what the Addicks are getting. He explained: “It’s something that’s been rumbling along for a few weeks and there were a few clubs in for Conor, as well, so I’m doubly pleased to beat them to his signature and do it in time for the first game of the season. His attitude is excellent, he likes to run, tackle and get up and down the pitch and his all-round midfield game makes him a very good addition for us.”
Gallagher started life as a wide midfielder but has moved more centrally in recent years. The youngster is highly rated at Chelsea making four appearances in the Checkatrade Trophy last season and earning a place on the bench for their Europe League final win against Arsenal.
The midfielder, who played a part in England U17s 2017 World Cup win, will be hoping to emulate the success of Jay Dasilva, the last Chelsea loanee at the club. In two loan spells Dasilva became a fan favourite and went on to win Player of the Year in a very impressive 2017/18 season at The Valley.
Comments
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Decent.0
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happy with this. Herbie Kane next in Midfield would be nice.9
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Welcome to the valley Conor.
Let's hope you can have the same sort of impact that last season's loanees had.6 -
Excellent news. I know nothing about him but at least it’s positive for a change. Hope he’s another Cullen or Bielik. Clear from reading between the lines of Lee’s words that Chelsea are paying almost all his wages.8
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Quietly very excited about this one, a few chelski friends reckon he is very highly rated over there. Welcome Conor.
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Got a good feeling about this one. I know people tend to dislike Chelsea’s approach to producing youth players but there is no doubt they have some talented players in their academy.
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With all due respect to Cullen and Bielik, if this guy fulfills his potential and shows a similar level of growth that they did, he'll be a better player than they both are now, IMO6
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Wow......didn’t see that coming!1
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Impossible to say really, none of us have seen the kid play before.sam3110 said:With all due respect to Cullen and Bielik, if this guy fulfills his potential and shows a similar level of growth that they did, he'll be a better player than they both are now, IMO14 -
Sounds like a quality addition1
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I imagine Chelsea probably pushed him to us due our track record with younger players...good luck to him! Young lad with something to proveSillybilly said:Excellent news. I know nothing about him but at least it’s positive for a change. Hope he’s another Cullen or Bielik. Clear from reading between the lines of Lee’s words that Chelsea are paying almost all his wages.2 -
Hope he does well.0
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Welcome to the madhouse Conor
Dont know much about him but in Bowyer I trust2 -
Happy with that, I know it's always hard to tell from video clips what a player is like but he did look impressive. Fingers crossed he's as good as Cullen was for us.2
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Looks a tidy player. 1 down 4/5 to go
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Impressed that he made the Europa League Final bench as there must have been some other kids also deserving of a space
Like the fact that he seems genuinely happy to be here, i.e. smiling in the photos
Some lads sign at clubs and look as miserable as sin, dont know if its because they're trying to look all serious and menacing etc. but not with this lad!2 -
Like the way Gallen describes his style of play.
All the best Conor.1 -
If he is their Academy Player of the Year then he must have some quality about him.
Based on the way Bowyer described him, it sounds like he has a similar traits to a Scott Parker type player - tenacious all rounder. Let’s hope he adds something!5 -
Gallagher featured in Frank Lampard’s first pre-season game in charge against Bohemians in Dublin, as well as our trip to Boston in May, and was an unused substitute in the Europa League final.
His new Chelsea contract commits him to his boyhood club until at least 2022 and he will now link up with Lee Bowyer’s newly promoted Addicks in the Championship for his first experience of senior football on loan.
https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2019/08/02/conor-gallagher-signs-new-contract-and-embarks-on-first-loan
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Cullen replacement, will he he be an upgrade though?cafctom said:If he is their Academy Player of the Year then he must have some quality about him.
Based on the way Bowyer described him, it sounds like he has a similar traits to a Scott Parker type player - tenacious all rounder. Let’s hope he adds something!2 -
Very very good signing in my view.
Good luck Conor.2 -
That's a very positive piece of news for all concerned as we approach our 1st match back in the Championship at Ewood Park.
Really looking forward to seeing Conor tomorrow .
Welcome, young man !1 -
I've run the rule over him and he looks like a proper footballer. Some of the turns to beat the man - albeit only at development level - belie his age. Normally I never make comparisons like this, but half the stuff he did reminded me of someone like Frenkie de Jong.
He can clearly distribute well - crosses and passing is tidy - and he likes a dribble. But he might not quite be physically developed enough to do those striding runs in the Championship. Strikes a decent dead ball - his technical ability is evident. Can use both feet!
I'm genuinely quite excited, even though it's only a loan deal. He's still only young, and the Championship is a BIG step up, so how his mentality translates is another question. But Bowyer and Gallen have an excellent track record.
Welcome, Conor.21 -
Chelsea fan at work raves about him all the time. Really rates him.
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Scotty Parker sprang to mind for me, fingers crossed he can cut it.PaddyP17 said:I've run the rule over him and he looks like a proper footballer. Some of the turns to beat the man - albeit only at development level - belie his age. Normally I never make comparisons like this, but half the stuff he did reminded me of someone like Frenkie de Jong.
He can clearly distribute well - crosses and passing is tidy - and he likes a dribble. But he might not quite be physically developed enough to do those striding runs in the Championship. Strikes a decent dead ball - his technical ability is evident. Can use both feet!
I'm genuinely quite excited, even though it's only a loan deal. He's still only young, and the Championship is a BIG step up, so how his mentality translates is another question. But Bowyer and Gallen have an excellent track record.
Welcome, Conor.1 -
Already follow his Mrs on Instagram... If she's going to be coming to games he is a welcome addition23
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Welcome Conor!0
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Looks very promising - good bit of work by Bowyer and Gallen.
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Taller than Lampard.0
