Newcastle United have been on a dire run of form in recent weeks, having suffered four defeats from their last five outings in all competitions, exiting both the Champions League and the EFL Cup in the process.
Furthermore, the Magpies are going through an injury crisis which has piled on the club's misery on the pitch, with 12 first-team members currently sidelined, while summer signing Sandro Tonali is suspended until the end of the campaign.
As a result, the board desperately need to provide adequate funds for head coach Eddie Howe to sign some players to turn the club's fortunes around ahead of the second half of the campaign. One player in particular is reportedly being eyed up by the manager.
Newcastle United transfer news – Conor Gallagher
During the summer, it was reported that Howe was looking to bolster his midfield department by bringing Chelsea star Conor Gallagher to St. James' Park ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. This was even before Tonali was confirmed as a Newcastle player. The Blues were having a fire sale to balance the books in order to avoid any Financial Fair Play slip-ups and had slapped a £50m price tag on the England international, according to talkSPORT.
However, no deal came to fruition and Gallagher managed to survive the clear-out which earned the five-time Premier League winners £237m in transfer sales to blend in nicely with their £434.5m expenditure, as per Sky Sports.
Nevertheless, the Englishman's future still isn't safe at Stamford Bridge. Gallagher's contract is set to expire at the end of the 2024/25 campaign and there has been little to no indication of whether or not the board will look to tie his future down at the club. Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino added fuel to the exit-talk fire last weekend by admitting he wants Gallagher to stay but that the decision is out of his hands.
“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.”
With Gallagher's future uncertain in west London, Newcastle United should be on high alert ahead of the winter window as Chelsea may look to accept an offer for the man that club legend Ashley Cole called a "leader" to avoid losing him for free at the end of next season.
Conor Gallagher's game in numbers
The best example of why Gallagher would be a great fit for Newcastle under Howe came on Tuesday night in the two sides' EFL Cup quarter-final clash at the Bridge. The 23-year-old put in a Man of the Match performance as the Magpies bowed out of their second competition in less than a week.
The Cobham academy product made a whopping 115 passes throughout the match and boasted 142 touches of the ball. Gallagher was key to making his side tick in possession and eventually breaking down a resolute Newcastle defence but was also superb defensively, managing three interceptions, eight ball recoveries and winning nine duels in total, as per FotMob.
Touches
142
Passes
115
Passing Accuracy %
90%
Shots
4
Expected Goals
0.15
Expected Assists
0.3
Chances Created
1
Passes To Final Third
14
Tackles Won
3
Interceptions
3
Ball Recoveries
8
Duels Won
9
Duels Lost
6
Stats via FotMob
His performance against the Geordie club on Tuesday earned him praise from journalist Josh Bunting, who described him as "superb" on the night. Gallagher even earned a 7/10 match rating from the Evening Standard.
If Howe needed further proof of why Gallagher – who is a player that the former Bournemouth boss "likes", according to journalist Ben Jacobs – would be an invaluable signing for the club in January and for the future, it smacked him right in the face in midweek.
Conor Gallagher's stats this season
Gallagher hasn't always been in the starting lineup this season, mainly due to the ridiculous wealth of talent Pochettino has available to him. However, the former Crystal Palace loanee has still been a key squad player, having made 20 appearances this season for Chelsea, including 16 in the Premier League. This comes to a total of 1,616 minutes for Gallagher, according to Transfermarkt, which is quite impressive for a player who was reportedly up for sale during the summer.
Nonetheless, Gallagher's versatility means that Pochettino can shoehorn him anywhere on the pitch and expect the industrious talent to do a job for him. Throughout his career, Gallagher has played all over the park, although the centre of midfield is his primary position.
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Central Midfield
110
14
15
Attacking Midfield
54
14
6
Defensive Midfield
51
5
12
Right Midfield
14
3
1
Right Winger
2
0
0
Left Midfield
1
0
0
Stats via Transfermarkt
At the beginning of the season, Howe pinpointed versatility as an attribute which would be key for Newcastle to be successful this term.
“I think [versatility] it’s going to be important this season.
“The players that can play different positions will be really valuable for us because you can never foresee what is going to happen."
Gallagher firmly fits into the category of being versatile and could tick all of the right boxes for Howe when signing a player. Additionally, he is outperforming Sean Longstaff in a number of areas this campaign and looks to be a clear upgrade on the boyhood Newcastle fan.
Goals
0
0.18
Expected Goals
0.07
0.14
Assists
0.22
0.06
Expected Assists
0.11
0.07
Progressive Passes
6.19
4.97
Progressive Carries
1.97
0.63
Key Passes
1.56
0.77
Passes To Final Third
4.35
2.94
Passes To Penalty Area
1.16
0.77
Passing Accuracy
89.3
81.7
Tackles
3.06
1.61
Tackles Won
1.75
0.78
Stats via FBref
In and out of possession, Gallagher has been offering more to his side, as the table shows, which is impressive considering how much Chelsea have struggled this season in comparison to Newcastle.
If Chelsea are ready to sell in January, Newcastle need to be all over Gallagher as he could massively bolster the midfield department, adding more energy and quality than ever before, while proving an undoubted dream addition for Howe and co.
