Conor Gallagher has insisted he was more than technically good enough to play a part in Enzo Maresca’s new-look Chelsea as he spoke out for the first time since his Stamford Bridge departure.
Despite being made club captain by previous boss Mauricio Pochettino, Gallagher departed his boyhood club this summer for Atletico Madrid having failed to agree terms on a contract extension.
While finances played their part, there was also a suggestion that new boss Maresca didn’t feel Gallagher’s profile suited his possession-heavy tactics.
However, the 24-year-old has hit back at that notion and said he would have been more than capable in Maresca’s side had he stayed around this summer.
‘I don’t think that’s true personally,’ he said of the suggestion that he wasn’t technically good enough for Maresca.
‘I think last season I had a good season with Chelsea as you could see by Mauricio Pochettino playing me every game and showing his trust in me. And the fans appreciated what I did on the pitch too.
‘I’m very grateful for all of that and very thankful to the fans. And very thankful to Pochettino for giving me that platform to go and express myself and show the best version of myself at Chelsea.’
Instead, the Englishman suggested that it was the club’s inability to guarantee him a long-term future that led him to seek pastures new, with a move to Atletico proving attractive straight away.
‘Chelsea make their own decisions and they’ve brought in some top players on long contracts,’ he said. ‘That wasn’t the situation with me but what happened is good for everyone.
‘I opened up my options and looked at the bigger picture. It excited me as soon as I knew Atletico Madrid were interested.’
Gallagher has already made his first start for Atletico in a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao before reporting for England duty and looked back with fondness as he reflected upon his time at Chelsea which began at age eight.
‘With Chelsea, I have only got good things to say,’ he continued. ‘Amazing football club, my boyhood club. I am so thankful and grateful for everything they did for me in the academy and the first team.
‘I have left Chelsea but I look back at all my memories and I am really happy that I was able to play for them for the couple of years that I did. The dream came through. The dream came true. So I am very lucky.’
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