Despite being long-time admirers of him, West Ham United have reportedly decided against pursuing a January transfer for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.
Since returning from his loan spell with Crystal Palace 18 months ago, the 23-year-old has been the subject of much speculation.
Expected to be sold, Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival surprised many. The Argentine has used Gallagher more than any other Chelsea player and has even handed him the captain’s armband in Reece James’ absence.
Irrespective of his game time, speculation the midfielder could leave Stamford Bridge in the upcoming window hasn’t died down though.
One club who have attempted to sign the midfielder before has been David Moyes’ Hammers, however, despite being heavily linked with another approach in January, according to a recent report from Football Insider, David Moyes has opted against pursuing a deal.
The Hammers are unlikely to be able to meet Chelsea’s asking price, rumoured to be more than £35 million, and the player’s salary demands.
Speaking recently about Gallagher’s importance, Pochettino said: “He’s important because he has Chelsea values, he is a product that came from the Academy and has the identity of the club. He loves the club and is very committed.
“You can see on the pitch: he runs, he plays, he fights, he gives everything to try to win. He is a really important player, a type of player every coaching staff wants to have in the team.”
Since being promoted to the Blues’ first team in the summer of 2022, Gallagher, who has 18 months left on his contract, has directly contributed to eight goals in 64 games in all competitions.
Gallagher tends to foul players rather than win duels . The only midfielder Westham could drop to include him would be Soucek . He would be an upgrade but his over zealous tackling would be an unwarranted risk . On balance Westham have more important positions to fill with almost no budget and so can’t afford 40 million on a dubious addition .