Ex-Chelsea boss's supposed biggest mistake ever finally explained

De Bruyne and Salah were raw whilst with Chelsea - but there was absolutely unreal potential. Both obviously eventually polished up into extraordinary diamonds. Gems that the Blues should arguably regret relinquishing. Why did that happen again, and on Mourinho's watch of all CFC chiefs?! Well, the Portuguese two-time manager of Chels' has enlightened us all on that relative disaster, thankfully:

"To be honest, they left because they wanted to leave. They left because they didn't want to wait. History proves that their option was good because they've had the careers they have and reached a high standard, but sometimes kids make decisions like that because they can't wait, or they don't have the patience to be calm and to wait for the right moment. Sometimes their career goes in the wrong direction."

- Jose Mourinho

Chelsea opinion: contrary to public opinion mostly derived via media reports, Mauricio Pochettino appears to wish for Conor Gallagher to stay at the Bridge

Although never likely to be a world-beater or the most significant, standout element of the team, Gallagher is a top calibre midfield man. He will eventually fit a leading side like a glove, maybe with a more low-key or even periphery role. He is also probably going to be in England manager Gareth Southgate's plans going forward.

So, why would the west London club let the former Crystal Palace loanee leave, as has been suggested by one a few outlets? Maybe the decision is totally Pochettino's and his resolutions become the final say on squad actions. Could Todd Boehly or Behdad Eghbali have stuck their oars into recruitment proceedings again? Possibly.

However, following sincere seeming praise for Gallagher from his CFC gaffer, it seems as though 'Poch' would rather have the Three Lions player inside Chelsea Football Club as opposed to outside of it. In addition to that factor, the Argentine technically dropped Enzo Fernandez but kept the former in his starting XI.

"The second clarification followed questions about Pochettino’s feelings towards one of his key performers on Saturday — Conor Gallagher. It has been persistently suggested that Chelsea will consider selling their academy graduate in January, which would be a baffling decision if it comes to pass. But Pochettino does not appear to be on the same page.

‘It is a decision between the player and the club, to be or not to be. ‘He [Gallagher] is in the starting XI nearly every game and one of the captains. For me, he is the type of player that the club need to have.

‘He is important because of his Chelsea values. He came from the academy, he loves the club and he is very committed. You can see that on the pitch: he runs, he plays, he fights. He does everything to win. ‘He is a really important player that the coaching staff want to have on the team.’"