‘Not my decision’ – Mauricio Pochettino hints Chelsea could sell midfield star in January against his wishes
He has been a vital player under Pochettino.
Mauricio Pochettino has cast further doubt on Conor Gallagher’s future at the club after admitting it is not his decision whether the midfielder stays at Stamford Bridge.
Gallagher, 23, has started all but one of Chelsea’s league matches this season – serving a one-match suspension against Manchester United earlier this month – and has regularly captained the side in the absence of Reece James.
But with just 18 months left on his contract, reports suggest the Blues will consider offers for him in January to help raise funds for a new striker.
Gallagher has yet to start negotiations over a new contract and while he insists Gallagher is the type of player the club ‘needs to have’ Pochettino was unable to offer any assurances over his long-term future.
Asked about the midfielder’s situation, Pochettino said: ‘That is between the club and the player.
‘I don’t need to talk too much because it is not my decision. He is in the starting eleven in nearly all the games and is one of the captains. For me, he is the type of player that the club needs to have.’
Chelsea are eager to sign a striker next month with Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney among the players on their shortlist.
The club spent over £400million on 13 new players during the summer transfer window but following the defeat at Everton last week, Pochettino admitted his side ‘are missing something’.
‘It’s about improving. We are talking after four, five months – 16 games – and it’s about assessing. If we are not able to score today with all the chances we had… we have to score if we want to win the game.
‘We want to be in a different position in the table. The team played well against a very difficult team like Everton. We were much better than them but you need to score.
‘After the first half of the season, we need to check. That is the reality. If we are not receiving enough, maybe we need to do some movement.
‘That is the thing to analyse with the sporting directors, to see if we can change this dynamic and improve in the second half of the season.
‘We need to be more aggressive. Then it’s a massive assessment and when the transfer window opens, we will see what we can do.
‘I don’t say if I am going to ask for more or less players. It’s to see if the perception matches the reality. We are missing something. We need to improve our reality.’
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