Crystal Palace’s chances of re-signing Conor Gallagher have been dealt a blow, with his current club intending to keep the midfielder this season.
That is according to Dean Jones, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the latest transfer news as we head into the final day of the transfer window.
According to The Times, Palace have made a £27m bid to Chelsea for the services of Gallagher, with the Eagles hoping that the 22-year-old will join them on a permanent deal rather than a loan as he did last season.
However, the Epsom-born midfielder has appeared in each of Chelsea’s first four matches this season, starting in both of his last two appearances, though he did get sent off in last weekend’s fixture with Leicester City after receiving two yellow cards and missed their defeat to Southampton.
But Jones believes that former West Bromwich Albion loanee is going to be needed at Chelsea this season, which may prevent Gallagher from leaving on loan again this summer.
He said: “At the moment, Gallagher’s going to be needed at Chelsea to pad out the squad.
“I mean, unless they do sign a midfielder – if they get Frenkie de Jong or something in the last few days, then there might be a possibility that he goes.
“But at the moment, Chelsea are going to keep Conor Gallagher. He’s always wanted the chance to succeed there, and they’re trying to give him opportunities.
“The feeling within Chelsea is that if he stays with them this season, he’ll probably end up playing about 30 games in various competitions and varying levels of performance time within those matches.”
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TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments…
We believe that Patrick Vieira and Palace fans would be extremely disappointed if they couldn’t secure the signature of Gallagher again this season, especially after expressing their desire for a permanent transfer.
The four-cap England international was a critical part of the Eagles’ success last season, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in 39 appearances from midfield last season, according to Transfermarkt.
He is also an exceptional dribbler from the middle of the park, as shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 9% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues and European competition for dribbles completed per 90 minutes (1.37) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.
Therefore, we believe that whilst Chelsea may be insistent on keeping Gallagher this season, Palace should at least be trying to push a loan deal through the door in a bid to secure the services of the England international this season.