West Ham United are targeting Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer, according to ExWHUEmployee.
The English midfielder has been told by the Blues that he can leave this summer.
What is the latest news with Conor Gallagher?
The Chelsea youth academy product is set to be allowed to depart Stamford Bridge this summer.
That is according to Fabrizio Romano, who stated that West Ham's opening offer of £40m plus add-ons was rejected by the Blues, with the side holding out for £50m to sell the player.
The Hammers are not the only team interested in signing the England international, with rivals Tottenham Hotspur reportedly also keeping an eye on the situation that is evolving as they look to potentially replace Pierre-Emile Hojberg who could be on his way to Atletico Madrid.
Gallagher returned to Chelsea last season following a strong loan spell at Crystal Palace with the expectations of securing a spot in the starting lineup for Chelsea on a regular basis, however, the midfielder only managed 18 starts across 35 appearances as he was unable to consistently start ahead of the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Enzo Fernandez and Mason Mount throughout the season.
Gallagher received criticism last season numerous times, with Jermaine Jenas criticizing his awareness during Chelsea's 4-0 defeat to Manchester City, stating "Conor Gallagher hasn’t got a clue where he is here. He’s been told to come out in almost like a right wing-back position but on that occasion where the ball gets played inside him he doesn’t have a clue where Gomez was.” Whilst former manager Thomas Tuchel criticized the player's discipline after his red card against Leicester City, saying "You can’t make the [second] challenge if you have a yellow card after 20 or 25 minutes. The challenge was a clear yellow card and gave us a huge disadvantage. There was no reason to make this decision. He is responsible for what he did and of course he knows it was a huge mistake."
Speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, ExWHUEmployee revealed that the Irons have tried to sign Gallagher in each of the last two windows, and manager David Moyes is keen on the Englishman: "We have other options in defensive midfield, one of those is Conor Gallagher. He’s been told he can leave, I mean he’s not necessarily a defensive midfielder in midfield because I know Conor Gallagher is more advanced than a defensive midfielder but I know that Gallagher is one that we wanted to sign last summer, we wanted to sign last January and we want to sign now. Moyes is very keen and apparently Spurs are keen as well but he’s definitely someone we’re interested in."
Where would Gallagher play for West Ham?
Should the Hammers sign Gallagher, it could prompt a formation change from Moyes.
In recent years, West Ham have deployed a double pivot in the midfield, with Tomas Soucek partnering Declan Rice at the heart of the Irons side. However, with the departure of Rice to Arsenal for a record fee of £105m, Gallagher would not be a natural replacement in that role, as he is a more attacking-minded midfielder. Therefore, West Ham could switch to more of a 4-3-3 shape next season, with Soucek anchoring whilst Gallagher and Lucas Paqueta sit further in front in more advanced roles, allowing them to showcase their attacking talent and threat. This idea could also be supported by the other targets the Hammers are pursuing, with Mexican Edson Alvarez linked with a move to the London Stadium for a fee in the region of £35-40m.
It would be a massive move for West Ham to bring in Gallagher, but it remains to be seen how well he would fit in.
