Conor Gallagher: What's happened since he left Chelsea?

Chelsea have made plenty of controversial transfer decisions under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, but few deals proved as divisive as the sale of midfielder Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid.

Frozen out of the side amid claims of a poor tactical fit under Enzo Maresca, Gallagher was linked with both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa before Diego Simeone launched a charm offensive to lure the Blues academy graduate over to Spain.

The saga was a clunky one, with Gallagher stranded in Spain for a week while Chelsea tried to find an Atletico player to sign in exchange. A move for Samu Omorodion collapsed and Gallagher returned to England, before jetting back to Madrid after the two teams shook hands over Joao Felix instead.

But with the £34m transfer now firmly behind us, how has Gallagher settled into life in Spain?

Impact on pitch

Before he had kicked a ball, Atletico made it clear they were all-in on Gallagher. Given a hero's welcome for his presentation, their social media team took every opportunity to express their love for their newest midfielder online.

It was an obvious risk to hype up a new signing to such an extent, but Atletico's faith in Gallagher was quickly justified. His first start came in the team's fourth La Liga fixture, and he was celebrating his first goal just weeks later.

Heading into the October international break, Gallagher racked up two goals in seven appearances for Atletico, firmly establishing himself as a key part of the furniture under Simeone - a manager who truly appreciates Gallagher's blend of technical quality and relentless energy.

Given the nickname 'El Pitbull', Gallagher was even named Atletico's Player of the Month for September as a reward for his performances.

Social reaction

Few Chelsea players have divided opinion as strongly as Gallagher. He was a reliable player in 2022/23 before blossoming into one of the stars of the short-lived Mauricio Pochettino era, yet not every supporter was conviced.

While some questioned how Chelsea had managed to secure £34m for an unwanted flop, others demanded higher compensation for the sale of a player who not only dazzled on the pitch, but connected with fans like nobody else in the squad had managed to do.

That respect and passion for the club is ultimately what helped endear him to Atletico fans. An attempt to speak Spanish on his first appearance went down well, as did his constant displays of appreciation for a club of Atletico's size. His new fans quickly sided with those Chelsea supporters that did not want to see Gallagher sold in the summer.

Gallagher's doubters have watched him flex his quality with Atletico, but not all of them have been won over just yet. Many still believe the England international's early form will fade, while others continue to argue that he would not be able to strut his stuff for Chelsea 2.0.

The general consensus, however, is that Gallagher and Atletico are a match made in heaven. Most of the Spanish side's tributes to their newest favourite son on social media regularly make their way to a Chelsea audience who remain in disbelief that such a talent was forcefully ejected from the club.

Chelsea's midfield performances without Gallagher

Central midfield continues to be an area of concern for Chelsea. Romeo Lavia looked like the future superstar fans were promised during pre-season before going down with an injury, leaving Maresca searching for answers.

The regular starters have been the expensive duo of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. The former has won over fans with his steady improvement, but questions remain over the latter's ability to live up to his £107m price tag. That being said, things have hardly gone poorly for Chelsea, who look to have climbed their way back into the battle for a top-four finish.

Some of the controversy surrounding Gallagher's sale revolved around the decision to sign Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester for £30m earlier in the summer. The two are similar profiles and cost similar sums of money, meaning it was effectively a straight swap.

Dewsbury-Hall has had a mixed start to his Chelsea career, which has begun with very limited Premier League minutes - just 43 before the October break. The argument among frustrated fans has been whether Gallagher could have provided more had he been allowed to stay, although most level-headed supporters have agreed to give Dewsbury-Hall more time to settle in. His off-field personality has already helped fans warm to him.