TalkSport pundit and former Crystal Palace player Darren Ambrose has urged the Eagles to ‘break the bank’ in order to sign Conor Gallagher on a permanent deal.
The 21-year-old has certainly taken like a duck to water in south London, making 16 appearances for the Eagles, scoring six goals and chipping in with three assists so far, leading the team in each department as we approach the halfway point of the season.
However, since he is only on loan and amid reports parent club Chelsea cannot recall him in January, what happens beyond the end of the season is still very much up in the air.
The Athletic notes that: “There is no question that Palace would be eager to make the move permanent in the summer given his impressive start to life in the Premier League, but there is no indication that Gallagher is keen to depart Stamford Bridge in anything other than potentially another temporary move, and no suggestion that Chelsea would look to sell him either. He will be eager to try to force his way into the team.”
Speaking on TalkSport, when asked by host Andy Goldstein if the club should sign him in January, Ambrose claimed that the club needed to do whatever they could to try and sign him, even if it was only for a few years, noting that he might have a better chance of playing regular football at Selhurst Park than at Stamford Bridge:
“100% [Palace should break the bank for Gallagher]. And I mean, break the bank – £60 million.
“He’s playing every week, he’s happy. I think Palace is a club going forward. They’ve got a manager in Patrick Vieira – that is someone that you want to learn off.
“I’m not saying it’s a stepping stone, but it could potentially be a stepping stone if Palace doesn’t go the way he would think they could, because I think they’re on the up. I think they’re heading towards the top half of the table and beyond. If they don’t, that’s a stepping stone for him, he learns his trade.
“Does he play week in, week out at Chelsea when everyone’s fit? Probably not, even though I feel he could – or should.”
TIF Thoughts on Darren Ambrose’s comments about Conor Gallagher and Crystal Palace…
Do you want to see Gallagher sign permanently?
Yes
No
A move like this would certainly be beneficial for Crystal Palace, as having relied on Wilfried Zaha for so many years with all of the goals and assists that he has brought to the team, they could do with another body in the team to provide attacking firepower so that they aren’t so overly reliant on the Ivorian.
However, if they were to pay the £60m that Ambrose mentions, which would smash their transfer record as a club, then they have to be certain that Gallagher is someone for them to build a team around.
Palace are traditionally not big spenders in the market, so whilst bringing in Gallagher may help them in one area, it might impact what they can do in other areas of the field.
As The Athletic’s report mentions, it might take a lot to convince Gallagher to come to the club permanently at some point in the future, but Palace would be foolish not to at least try to make something happen.
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