Sky Germany were last night reporting that West Ham were in advanced talks for Chelsea star Conor Gallagher. Bizarrely, this story was not being featured by their Sky counterparts in the UK.
The West London club have far too many players on their books, and are undergoing a purge. AC Milan completed the signings of Ruben Loftus Cheek and returned last week to buy Christian Pulisic. The list of players leaving the club is too extensive to detail on a West Ham site, but it is significant.
So it is little surprise that Gallagher might also be available. The former Crystal Palace loanee is a fine player and decent value at £30m. He has featured intermittently for England during the past three years and is highly regarded.
West Ham are in talks for Chelsea star Gallagher
Crucially, Gallagher has his best years ahead of him at 23 years of age. I’ll not labour the point but West Ham have the second oldest squad in the Premier League. So it’s refreshing to see the club linked with younger players who will increase in performance and value.
Gallagher would also meet the David Moyes seal of approval. He’s a hard worker, home grown and Premier League proven. West Ham were hindered last season as Moyes struggled to assimilate his foreign signings into the EPL.
As a result, Moyes is believed to be seeking players who are already acclimatised to the rigours of the English game. Gallagher would certainly match that criteria having been born and raised in London.
Personally, I hope this rumour is true. I’ve liked the player whenever I’ve seen him and his brace against us for Palace was impressive. Given the choice I’d prefer this option over James Ward Prowse.
Conor Gallagher was poor last season most likely because he didn’t get a run in the Chelsea team. Make this lad a starter, and we’ll see a difference. I remember how inconsistent that Pablo Fornals was in his first season – same story for Said Benrahma. Even Lucas Paqueta took his time to get used to West Ham and we’ve hardly seen Maxwel Cornet – he badly needs a run too, not just ten minutes off the bench.
To be honest I used to be a big fan of Gallagher but i thought he was very poor last season. He is the right profile in terms of age but just not sure he has the real quality to make us better.
A perfect relacement for Lanzini as a new No. 10 for us. Personally I would rather buy Barnes for the left and play Bennie as a 10, but we need more quality. Paqueta is not a 10. He’s a progressive 6 or an 8 for me.
Buy him, I’ve been impressed every time he’s played against us!