Chelsea FC are off until a week from Saturday, as it’s international break, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have plenty of news items to discuss. In this edition we’ll cover some updates on defender Trevoh Chalobah and manager Mauricio Pochettino, but we’ll begin by discussing midfielder Conor Gallagher, whose contract is set to expire in June of 2025.
The English international remains relaxed that his place at the club is secure, and that his long-term future will take care of itself.
“I’m sure that will get sorted out,” Gallagher told The Guardian.
“Everyone knows Chelsea is my club and I love playing for them. The fans are brilliant and I’m loving it right now. I’m sure it will get itself sorted out.
“[The summer] was a crazy period in terms of ins and outs. I had conversations with the manager and he expressed that he liked me as a player and I was in his plans. I was really happy.”
Gallagher has often been a part of Chelsea’s first choice midfield trio, with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
Pochettino, who is starting to receive more praise lately from pundits all over the world, extolled the virtues of the player. He also answered queries about Gallagher’s contract status.
“Conor is a great professional, his commitment with the club, with the team,” the Argentine is quoted in football.london.
“I’m so happy for him because he’s showing great character, great commitment, he’s playing very well. Conor is in our plans, I was talking with him the first day I arrived. He’s doing well. He’s a really important player, with his commitment, and the way he is involved every day and in training. We are so happy with him. In football, anything can happen [in terms of transfers].
“Now I am happy with him and his performance there are still two years on his contract. I’m happy with him and his performance. At the moment there’s nothing to say.”
At the other end of the involvement spectrum is Trevoh Chalobah.
As important as Gallagher is, Chalobah is just as much out of favor. The 24-year-old has not played a minute this season, and he’s currently struggling with injury. But according to a report in La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Roma Press), he is wanted by two-time former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at AS Roma.
Mourinho is looking for a replacement for ex-United man Chris Smalling, who has also been extremely injury prone recently. According to the report, Chalobah could leave on loan this January. And it also appears that loan is the only way he’ll be exiting Stamford Bridge, as his contract runs until 2028, making a permanent move rather difficult, to say the least.
There is another potential loan destination (one that is much closer) for Chalobah, and that is Tottenham Hotspur. According to Football Insider, Pochettino is willing to let Chalobah go to his former club, who like Chelsea, have been hit with a ton of injuries this season. With first choice central defender Micky van de Ven now on the shelf for the long-term, Spurs have a hole that Chalobah could fit, quite nicely.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.