Pochettino says Chelsea ‘need to have’ player heavily linked with January exit
Mauricio Pochettino insists Conor Gallagher is “the type of player that the club needs to have” but admits “it’s not my decision” amid reports the Chelsea star could be sold in January.
Gallagher has started every Premier League game he’s been available for this season and has regularly captained the side in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell.
But with just 18 months left on his current deal reports suggest Chelsea will consider offers for the 23-year-old in January as they look to raise funds for a new striker.
Pochettino is clearly a huge fan but confirmed the decision is out of his hands.
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.”
Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney are among the strikers on Chelsea’s January shortlist, and Pochettino said after the defeat to Everton last week that his side “are missing something”.
“It’s about improving,” Pochettino said. “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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