‘What a mess’ – Carragher slams Chelsea for sanctioning €40m Spurs transfer with ‘agreement close’
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has slammed Chelsea amid reports suggesting Conor Gallagher is on the verge of joining Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea overhauled their squad in the summer as they had to offload some valuable assets to balance the books after spending over £1bn on signings since Todd Boehly’s arrival last season.
Gallagher was expected to leave the Blues as he was being pursued by Tottenham and West Ham but he ended up sticking around.
The England international has been a vital player for Chelsea at the start of this season and he has been Mauricio Pochetteino’s captain for much of this campaign.
Despite this, reports linking him with a move elsewhere have not gone away amid claims Chelsea are looking to cash in on Gallagher – who is out of contract in 2025 – in January before his value starts to decline.
Tottenham have had a few lows this season but they are certainly heading in the right direction under innovative head coach Ange Postecoglou and they appear to be leading the race to sign Gallagher.
On Saturday morning, Portuguese journalist Pedro Almeida tweeted: “Tottenham and Chelsea are in advanced talks and very close to reach an agreement for the transfer of Conor Gallagher for around €40m.”
In response, Carragher claimed this transfer “shows what a mess” the Chelsea owners have made at Stamford Bridge.
“Gallagher has been Chelsea’s best player this season along with Cole Palmer, this just shows what a mess the new ownership have made at the club,” Carragher tweeted.
“Selling an academy player because it helps with FFP [aghast emoji]”.
If Gallagher does leave Chelsea, it will not be because of Pochettino. The Blues head coach has insisted that he is the type of player they “needs to have”.
“That is between the club and the player,” Pochettino told reporters. “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.”
He added: “He’s important because of his Chelsea values. He came from the academy and knows the identity of the club and he is very committed.
“You can see on the pitch how he runs, plays, and fights. He gives everything and he is a really important player. All coaching staff want this type of player in their team.”
OPINION: Chelsea MOTM evokes Tuchel heyday as Pochettino hamstrung by vertically challenged Blues
