Aston Villa fans were left unanimously agreeing on Conor Gallagher after his performance in England’s 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday.
Conor Gallagher is a reported target for Aston Villa this summer, with Chelsea welcome to offers for the 24-year-old about to enter the final year of his contract.
Gallagher could yet sign a new contract at the Stamford Bridge club but for as long as he has one year left Chelsea will be looking for a sale to help alleviate PSR concerns.
Gallagher has been identified as a midfielder who can help fill the void left by the expected departure of Douglas Luiz this summer in a move that is designed to help with Villa’s own financial worries.
The all-action midfielder replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 69th-minute as Gareth Southgate opted for the energy Gallagher possesses to help England see out a win over Serbia.
His cameo showed exactly why Unai Emery is so keen to secure his signing this summer and the reaction of Villa fans to his performance showed they are now fully on board with Gallagher coming to Villa Park.
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Aston Villa fans ready to welcome Conor Gallagher this summer
Gallagher has earned his place in this summer’s England squad, being one of few Chelsea players to impress in 2023/24.
Described as ‘priceless’ by Mauricio Pochettino, the former Crystal Palace loanee is not expected to be so heavily depended on by new manager Enzo Maresca, adding fuel to the links he could move to Villa.
If any Villa fans weren’t convinced prior to Sunday, they are now as they took to ”X’ in their droves to express their desire to see Gallagher playing for the Villans.
One fan wrote “Get Gallagher to Villa ASAP”, whilst another echoed this sentiment by posting “Get Gallagher to the Villa. Love his work rate”.
One fan was full of praise, saying “Gallagher is so good man, bring him to the Villa”, whilst another added “He’s a proper midfielder”.
One supporter drew comparisons to a current Villa star, saying: “He’s like a young John McGinn.”
Villa will want him to do well this summer, but perhaps not too well as one fan commented: “His price will double by the quarter-finals.”
Is Gallagher a Douglas Luiz replacement?
Gallagher will hope to have an increased role as the tournament goes on, but his relentless running may mean he is seen more as a useful tool to see games out rather than a starter.
There is no shame in that, but Gallagher showed he can contribute in an attacking sense too as he scored seven and assisted nine for Chelsea last season.
Luiz is the tempo-setter for Emery, with his ability on the ball paramount to how Villa have played over the past couple of seasons.
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Gallagher is not that, so if he is signed will not be a like-for-like replacement for Luiz.
However, if Boubacar Kamara is to return at the base of the midfield it may be that Emery does not feel he needs to replace Luiz with the same profile of player and can therefore integrate an all action, box-to-box midfielder into his side in Gallagher instead.
So, whilst Gallagher will not replace Luiz in the sense of playing the exact same role, he could be his replacement in the starting XI, with Emery tweaking his midfield balance slightly.
