Atletico Madrid sign Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher: Decoding his stats
Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher. The English midfielder, who was seen at the 2024 European Championship, has signed a five-year contract with the Spanish club. As per Fabrizio Romano, Atletico will be paying Chelsea €42m as fee for Gallagher. Gallagher was one of Chelsea's top players last season. He would be keen to elevate his game at Atletico.
Why does this story matter?
Gallagher is another Chelsea boyhood player the club decided to cash in on after Mason Mount last summer. He was offered a two-year contract extension but 24-year-old Gallagher didn't agree to the same. Moreover, Gallagher didn't want to be a squad player at Chelsea. It's a move that suits all parties and under Diego Simeone at Atletico, Gallagher may become a crucial player.
Details on how the Gallagher deal got delayed
Atletico, who signed Julian Alvarez earlier, had agreed to sign Gallagher and let young striker Samu Omorodion leave for Chelsea. However, Omorodion's £34.5m move was off following contractual issues. This saw Gallagher return back to London after having signed his Atletico contract. Notably, Atletico also ran the risk of losing out on Alvarez but got it secured. Omorodion is expected to leave Atletico next.
Joao Felix deal helped Gallagher's move get through
After Omorodion's move to Chelsea collapsed and Gallagher was forced to return back, the two clubs didn't give up and found ways to solve the puzzle. Atletico offered Joao Felix to Chelsea, who moved ahead and is set to announce the Portuguese's signing soon. As per reports, Felix will join Chelsea for £46m. He spent last season on loan at FC Barcelona.
Gallagher spent two seasons as Chelsea first-team player
Gallagher made his first-team debut for the Blues in 2022-23 season. He went on to make 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and making one assist. In the 2023-24 season, the Englishman made 50 appearances under former manager Mauricio Pochettino. He scored seven goals and made his presence felt with nine assists. Overall, he made 95 appearances for the Blues (G10, A10).
Gallagher was at these Championship clubs on loan in 2019-20
Gallagher played for Championship clubs Charlton and Swansea in the 2019-20 season on loan. He scored six times in 26 appearances for Charlton before Chelsea called him back. He made a move to Swansea in January 2020 and played 21 matches, including 19 times in the Championship. Altogether, Gallagher managed eight assists that season.
Gallagher played for West Brom and Crystal Palace
Chelsea allowed Gallagher to join Premier League side West Bromwich Albion for the 2020-21 season. He made a total of 32 appearances and scored twice in addition to making two assists. 30 of his appearances came in the Premier League. In 2021-22, Crystal Palace got Gallagher's services. He played 39 matches, scoring eight times and making five assists.
His overall Premier League stats
Gallagher made 136 Premier League appearances in total for West Brom, Palace and Chelsea. He scored 18 goals in addition to making 13 assists. Out of his 157 shots, 58 of them were on target. He smashed the woodwork on seven occasions and created 22 big chances. Gallagher made 280 tackles, 122 interceptions and 94 clearances. He had 135 successful 50/50s.
His stats in the 2023-24 Premier League season
Gallager played 37 times for Chelsea in the Premier League 2023-24 season, scoring five times and making seven assists. As per Squawka comparison matrix (data by Opta), he clocked 36 shots (excluding blocks) out of which 18 were on target. He created 51 chances and owned a pass accuracy of 91.5%. He completed 33 lay-offs and had 82 touches in the opposition box.
Gallagher has been capped 18 times by England
Gallagher has been capped 18 times by England. He made five appearances at the 2024 Euros in Germany. Gallagher made his debut for England in 2021.
