West Ham United can finally look forward and can do so with a healthy £105m profit in their back pocket.
Declan Rice’s long-awaited move to Arsenal has been completed and David Moyes now faces the biggest task of the summer as he attempts to fill the former club captain’s humongous void.
A host of names have been thrown into the mix, including Conor Gallagher.
What’s the latest on Conor Gallagher to West Ham United?
According to Sky Sports, the Irons are interested in the Chelsea midfielder, who is valued well in excess of £40m.
Gallagher’s deal doesn’t expire until 2025, and it is believed that the Blues would be open to extending it.
The report details that any possible departure would have to be driven by the player himself, who is waiting to establish his exact role within the squad. But, it is understood that Mauricio Pochettino is keen to keep him for the upcoming campaign.
The Englishman is currently on Chelsea’s pre-season tour in the USA and scored in the club’s 5-0 hammering of Wrexham.
Last month, when Gallagher about his future, he made his feelings for Chelsea and excitement to work with Pochettino abundantly clear, saying:
“I love Chelsea, it has been a tough season for me and the whole team so I think we will just be working hard to get us back to where we belong.
“He’s a top manager, everyone at Chelsea is happy he’s here, and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
However, new technical director Tim Steidten is still eyeing a potential swoop for the 23-year-old but also has Joao Palhinha, James Ward-Prowse, Denis Zakaria, and Edson Alvarez on the shortlist.
Would Conor Gallagher be a good signing for West Ham?
In the whirlwind of new ownership, debatable transfer dealings, a managerial merry-go-round, and a hideously bloated squad, Gallagher emerged as a bit of a victim.
Last season, the former Swansea City loanee made 45 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, which was the second-most in the squad, which meant many fans and pundits synonymously view him as one of the main characters in the soap opera of the club’s miserable season.
This view has been heightened by Gallagher’s style of play as he isn’t a typically ‘sexy’ footballer – instead, he is renowned for his energetic and dogged work rate that often isn’t appreciated.
In terms of rating and influence on the team, Gallagher’s status closely mirrors Fred, whose performances also largely go unnoticed. Both players make solid defensive and offensive contributions, including shots per 90 (1.73 vs 1.93), touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (3.32 vs 2.43), tackles per 90 (2.58 vs 3.50), and blocks per 90 (1.92 vs 2.53). All the aforementioned figures place both midfielders within the best 23% in Europe’s top five leagues among their positional peers for those metrics to demonstrate how much they excel.
Former Premier League defender Mikael Silvestre is a fan of Fred and said:
"He’s doing the dirty work which goes unnoticed in front of the back four, but I can tell that the defence will always like these types of players because they give protection. I actually think he’s very underrated in this team.”
Gallagher has also received praise and been hailed as “exceptional” and a “pleasure” to coach by Thomas Tuchel, who highlighted his “energy” and “work-rate” as two of his best traits.
Both are often scapegoated and with Fred also linked with an exit this summer, both men make very useful squad players, who in an ideal world you’d like to keep.
Gallagher’s “warrior” style, as described by scout Jacek Kulig, could hugely benefit West Ham and would go some of the way to softening Rice's departure, so Steidten must do all he can to lure him to the London Stadium before the action gets back underway next month.