Chelsea news: Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour have been in brilliant form since joining Norwich City and Crystal Palace respectively on loan last summer.
Gilmour struggled with his game time under manager Daniel Farke during the opening months of the season. However, the appointment of Dean Smith in November changed his fortunes and he started in every league game since Smith took charge at the club. Gilmour made 10 appearances for the Canaries thus far, registering one assist.
Meanwhile, Gallagher has been a revelation since moving to Selhurst Park. He contributed six goals and three assists in 15 Premier League games thus far. His performances also earned him a place in England’s national team and he made his debut for the Three Lions against San Marino last month. The Chelsea youth academy graduate is also in contention to make it into England’s for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Chelsea news: Blues cannot recall Billy Gilmour and Conor Gallagher in January due to contract clause
According to Athletic, Chelsea cannot recall Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour due to clauses in their loan contract.
The Blues were reportedly exploring the possibility of recalling the duo after several of their first-team midfielders suffered injuries in recent weeks. N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho have all spent time on the sidelines over the past few weeks.
However, the duo have already made enough appearances – more than 50 percent of available games – for their respective loan clubs to prevent a January recall loan-termination clause from being activated by the Londoners.
The west London club have also shown interest in signing several midfielders to overcome their midfield crisis. Real Madrid’s Casemiro, AS Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni and Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, have all been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge recently.
How will Conor Gallagher shape Chelsea’s midfield for future?
N’Golo Kante turned 30 earlier this year, with Jorginho also approaching his 30’s. Chelsea can’t rely on their midfield duo for long. They need to inject fresh blood into their squad to keep competing for top honours in years to come.
Conor Gallagher, who turned 21 earlier this year, is the perfect midfielder to lead the team going forward. Gallagher is an energetic player who likes to play as a box-to-bix midfielder. His key strengths are his stamina and passing skills, while also having an eye to pick his teammates in high goalscoring positions. The England international averaged 1.8 key passes and 2.3 shots per 90 in the English top-flight this season.
Apart from that, he also completed 419 passes with an accuracy of 82.3 in the EPL so far.
What’s next?
Chelsea are currently sitting third in the Premier League table, behind Manchester City and Liverpool. They will go up against Everton at Stamford Bridge in their next league fixture on Friday. Meanwhile, Norwich and Palace will play West Ham and Southampton respectively in their next league games.
The January transfer window will start on Saturday, January 1, 2022, for clubs in Scotland and England.
