Speaking to Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian, Conor Gallagher admitted he could have left Chelsea last summer, with interest from Bayern Munich, Tottenham and West Ham.
But Gallagher stated “In a way I was excited” when asked about the competition for his place after the signings of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
The 23-year-old said he wanted to make sure he was ready to “show the manager I was still good enough to play in this team”, and he has gone on to become a regular for Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues.
Gallagher has made 15 appearances for Chelsea this season, providing four assists and totalling 1,232 minutes this campaign so far.
He has also worn the armband for Chelsea when captain Reece James, and vice-captain Ben Chilwell have been injured, showing the trust Pochettino has in the 23-year-old.
The midfielder has already equalled his goal involvements from last season, where he scored one goal and provided three assists in 45 games during the 2022/23 campaign.
Gallagher has also been called up for the England national team again for this international break, where he has made 10 caps so far, and could earn his 11th and 12th during this break against Malta and North Macedonia.