Why Chelsea would be mad to sell Conor Gallagher as stats show academy kid better than £222m duo Caicedo and Fernandez
CONOR GALLAGHER is being strongly linked with a Chelsea exit this winter.
But the Blues would be mad to sell their academy star.
That’s because the stats prove he is BETTER than £222million midfield duo Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
Gallagher, 23, has been a key player for Mauricio Pochettino this season.
The dynamo is an ever-present in his manager’s starting XI.
And Gallagher put in a man-of-the-match performance as Chelsea dumped Newcastle out of the Carabao Cup to reach the semis last night.
However, the England star has just 18 months remaining on his Stamford Bridge contract.
Chelsea’s American owners are looking to raise funds for FFP compliance after a £1billion spending spree.
And reports suggest the Blues are open to selling Gallagher should they receive a bid of £35m or more.
But stats for this season prove that would be madness on Chelsea’s part.
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Despite being up against the two of the most expensive players in history, Gallagher is dominating in just about every area of the beautiful game this term.
His fitness is certainly beyond doubt.
The trio have played virtually the same amount of matches, but Gallagher has clocked up 200 more minutes than Fernandez and 230 more than Caicedo.
The South America duo are also yet to register an assist between them either, but Gallagher already has four to his name.
As for chances created, he has three more than Fernandez’s 24.
And 21 of Gallagher’s chances have been created from open play too.
But his technical proficiency gets even more impressive.
Incredibly, he also leads the way with passes made.
And Gallagher’s accuracy is unmatched too, boasting a 91.87 per cent success rate.
But it’s the industrious side of the game where he truly comes to life.
While Caicedo has made 31 tackles and Fernandez has made 35, Gallagher has 54 to his name — with 32 of those successful.
The Cobham lad has also won possession 126 times, with Caicedo the closest challenger on 88.
25 of those balls won have come in the final third, showing he’s an integral part of Pochettino’s pressing game high up the pitch.
Gallagher has even completed 24 of 37 attempted dribbles far superior to Fernandez’s 11 in 24.
The only area he is lagging behind the Argentine World Cup winner is goals.
Gallagher is yet to hit the target this season, despite coming close with a long-range effort off the crossbar last night.
Fernandez has three to his name after sharing penalty duties with Cole Palmer.
But Caicedo is also without a goal, meaning Gallagher is at least on level terms with one of his rivals in that field.
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