Conor Gallagher hoping to emulate Lampard

Chelsea midfielder is impressing on loan at Crystal Palace where he has become a key player for Patrick Vieira. Now, there are calls for him to get the nod from Gareth Southgate.

Conor Gallagher is on his fourth loan from Chelsea, but this time it feels a bit different. Now, Gallagher is thriving at the top level of English football. His first loan saw him blossom under Lee Bowyer at Charlton Athletic in the Championship. However, his parent club decided to recall the player in January and move him onto another Championship team, Swansea City. It was a controversial decision that wasn't appreciated at The Valley, but one Chelsea felt was best for his development.

©Getty / Monika Majer

As a young Chelsea fan, Gallagher admired Frank Lampard the most. And although he's now playing under another midfield legend in Vieira, Lampard is still an inspiration to the player. He described the former Chelsea manager as "someone I have always looked up to, being a Chelsea fan, it was incredible watching him and the number of goals and assists he got was crazy for a midfielder." 

That's something that's becoming very apparent this year. His fourth league goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers was a reminder of those deflected goals Lampard was always associated with. But his strike against Manchester City was an example of a player timing his run perfectly and making a difference in the big games – another Lampard staple.

He's setting them up too, with two assists so far this season. In fact, only two central midfielders in the Premier League have made more key passes than Gallagher, Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans.

⚽Goals from central midfielders in the #PL this season:

4⃣🦅CONOR GALLAGHER🦅
4⃣Bruno Fernandes
3⃣Mason Mount
3⃣Youri Tielemans
2⃣Abdoulaye Doucouré (+6)#CPFC pic.twitter.com/OZr1VVG4ch

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) November 8, 2021

Gallagher's emergence gives Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel a headache. The player signed a 5-year contract in 2020, but should he not feature in Tuchel's plans next season, it would make sense for the midfielder to make a permanent move and emulate the likes of Tino Livramento.

But the signs look good for Gallagher's Stamford Bridge future. Tuchel had talked with Gallagher about staying at the club this season to fight for his place and the manager is certainly following his Palace progress. Before Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Burnley last weekend, Tuchel was asked about Gallagher and he sounded impressed, "he is standing out every single matchday so it’s an easy one to follow and credit to him."

Ready for England

Gallagher's emergence is not only key to Chelsea's future plans, but England's too. The player has represented England at every level from U17 to U21 with the senior team surely not far away.

If – or maybe when – he gets his senior call-up, he would be yet another member of England's U17 World Cup winning squad to earn an England cap. Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Phil Foden were all part of that team as was Emile Smith Rowe who just recently got the nod.

Surely it's only a matter of time for Conor Gallagher to make Southgate's squad?