Gallagher was linked with an array of Premier League sides this summer, but despite Atletico Madrid seemingly being open to a move, were not willing to sanction one when Manchester United enquired.
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For much of the summer, Conor Gallagher’s name appeared in transfer stories, all predicting that the Atletico Madrid midfielder was heading back to the Premier League. From the Spanish capital, the consistent line was that Gallagher was not for sale - unless someone was willing to put down the same money that they paid for him. It’s not an entirely convincing ‘hands off’ as far as they go.
Back in July,Caught Offside reported that Newcastle United had enquired about Gallagher, with Los Rojiblancos open to a €45-50m sale. MeanwhileFootball España also noted that Gallagher had been offered to a number of Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
Yet no offer arrived until the final hours of the transfer window, at which pointUnited were told that they would not be sanctioning a move for the England international. The question is, what was the strategy and how did it come to this just a year on from a move that seemed to suit everyone down to the ground?
Gallagher: Well-liked but without a home
Atlético de Madrid: Crystal Palace viene a por Gallagher
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The 25-year-old arrived with plenty of fanfare, and it took little time for ‘El Pitbull’ to endear himself to the rabid Atletico support. On his debut, Gallagher hunted down an opposition player deep in their own half, cornering them, and eventually sliding in to put the ball out for a goal kick, as Atletico defended a lead late on. This was met with a noise that matched any of the goals in the game.
Gallagher had plenty to offer to Diego Simeone, and many of the qualities that he covets. Strong, capable of playing box-to-box and fond of goals from midfield, on the surface, Gallagher would fit Simeone’s aggressive and hard-working ethos like a glove.
Yet it is a sign of the times and the difficulty of playing in midfield in La Liga that Gallagher found himself more of a problem than a solution. In central midfield, as part of the two in Simeone’s preferred 4-4-2 last season, Gallagher was being gobbled up on the ball, struggling to find his way out of pressure, and accelerating the game too much. Rodrigo de Paul, Koke Resurreccion and Pablo Barrios were all considered more adept.
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It meant that the only position Gallagher had hope of was on the left of midfield, where he split time with Samuel Lino. The Brazilian offered pace, took on his defender, and was a solution in the final third. Gallagher was the ‘defensive option’ - he would crash the box, but was conscious of his defensive duties.
Were Atletico Madrid looking to sell him?
Arriving from Chelsea for €42m, Gallagher was not strictly linked to Joao Felix, but it was very much understood that the Englishman would not have arrived were the Portuguese not going the other way. Given how desperate Atletico were to move on from Felix, this is still considered a more than acceptable exchange for Atleti fans, but Gallagher’s fee is above what they might have paid in other circumstances.
That high fee, of which Atletico still have to pay €32m including this season, plus his relatively sizable wages, make him an expensive ‘alternative’ for Simeone. Their business this summer very much suggests that El Cholo has no plans to hand him a starting role either. The spending on holding midfielder Johnny Cardoso and playmakers Thiago Almada and Alex Baena more or less block Gallagher’s progress in the two positions he played most last season, even if Rodrigo de Paul did depart.
All of the above means that had a €40m offer for Gallagher arrived, it was hard to see them turning it down. United’s enquiry was reportedly about a loan move, and while it would save them something in salary, it does little for them in the long-run. By that point thesigning of Nicolas Gonzalez from Juventus had been completed, and with no plans for a further recruit, and no necessity to move Gallagher on, the upside for Atletico was probably rather slim by the time United’s offer arrived.