Conor Gallagher comes from Surrey, which is the county adjacent to West London, where Chelsea play. He comes from a family of Blues supporters, is a fan himself, and went on to play for the club.
After coming through the ranks at Chelsea, he spent time on loan at Charlton Athletic and Swansea City in the Championship. He was too good for English soccer's second tier, so he subsequently gained Premier League experience by being loaned to West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace.
The midfielder finally got his chance in Chelsea's first team and went on to captain the side. He played nearly 100 games for the Blues and was part of their side that got to the EFL Cup final. Gallagher also has a Europa League winners' medal, although he did not play when the Blues won the trophy in 2019.
Unfortunately for Gallagher, he was a very sellable asset as he is a homegrown player. This is very important for Chelsea in the era of the Premier League's profitability and sustainability regulations. He was eventually sold from his boyhood club to Atlético Madrid for $54.7m.
Conor Gallagher never wanted to leave Chelsea
Gallagher has been a hit in Spain and has played 66 times for Diego Simeone's side. However, he is yet to win a trophy with Atlético and is constantly linked with a return to the Premier League. Manchester United, Tottenham, and Palace have all reportedly been potential options for Gallagher.
Despite these links, Gallagher has insisted that he is going nowhere. He told AS, "I'm very happy here. My goal is to win titles with Atleti and I want to have a bigger role in the team. And, as I've said, I'm going to keep working as hard as I can to play more minutes and help the team."
Gallagher is yet to complete 90 minutes in La Liga for Atlético this season. This lack of game time has meant that he has not been involved in the last three England squads. It would not be surprising if Gallagher wants to leave to ensure more consistent game time.
A return to the Premier League would be tempting for Gallagher as it is the best division in the world. English players often want to return to their home country after spending time abroad. However, Chelsea fans would not want to see him in a rival club's colors.