ESPN pundit Mario Melchiot has stressed how much influence one Chelsea player has on the entire team at Stamford Bridge.
If you’re judging the Blues as a squad collective, it’s not been good enough this year. They’re ninth in the Premier League table. Meanwhile, they lost in the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool, plus face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals as they try salvage the campaign with silverware.
It’s felt like Mauricio Pochettino’s side has relied too heavily on individual brilliance, mainly from Cole Palmer.
However, Mario Melchiot has flagged the importance of a different Chelsea player.
Chelsea star leads the press
Melchiot has explained why Conor Gallagher, who’s the stand-in captain, has become so integral to Chelsea.
He believes that the 24-year-old attacking midfielder completely sets the tone with his relentless energy. However, he’s noticed there’s a dip from the rest of the team when Gallagher tires.
“The biggest thing for Chelsea [against Man United] was the energy of Gallagher. The energy of Gallagher in the first 20/25 minutes, but then the energy drops because he cannot keep running for that long. He leads it but after they drop off because they’re trying to hold their energy,” Melchiot told ESPN.
We agree Gallagher’s infectious to his teammates with his drive and work-rate off the ball, but it should be on others around them to apply themselves properly.
The latest with Conor Gallagher’s future
There’s a lot of speculation regarding what will happen in the future with Gallagher, who’s out of contract in west London at the end of next season.
Journalist Ben Jacobs reports via Substack this week that £50m-rated Gallagher could be sold by Chelsea in the summer but anything could yet happen. This comes amid interest from close rivals Tottenham, too.
In our view, this only underlines why a player like Gallagher can’t be sold this summer, regardless of the financial benefits.