Liverpool ‘interested’ in Chelsea player - why he would be good fit

Liverpool’s reported interest in Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher makes a lot of sense because he would be the perfect Jurgen Klopp midfielder. Gallagher, 23, has become a key player at Chelsea this season after flirting with a potential exit over the summer starting in all nine games in the league and captaining the side on four occasions.

Under Mauricio Pochettino, he’s been brilliant. The new Blues manager has given Gallagher the freedom to cover as much ground as possible and his workrate is up there with the very best of them. In fact, he’s covered the most ground per game of any Chelsea player with 11.5km.

What is interesting is that Liverpool have steered away from the type of midfield three that formed the basis of their previous Premier League and Champions League triumphs under Jurgen Klopp - that mix of physicality, energy, as well as a lot of ability, but they weren’t midfield technicians, they hunted and got the ball back as often as possible. The signings of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch suggest he wanted more on-the-ball quality in the middle of the park.

According to Chelsea in-the-know Simon Phillips, he may want to add even more. Gallagher is being linked with a move but Chelsea are expected to sit down for new contract talks soon. His current deal expires in 2025, which gives them some time but considering his increased role in the side, it is likely he could be rewarded soon if this continues.

Gallagher’s all-around statistics are brilliant; he’s winning 3 tackles a game, 7.3 recoveries, 1.8 interceptions, as well as 59% duels won. But he’s also getting on the ball with nearly 70 touches per game alongside a 90% accuracy, 87% of which are in the opposition half and 1.1 key passes per game.

He’s shown that he can do it all and with two assists so far, he’ll be hoping to find the net soon as that is something he hasn’t done since May 6. He’s often heavily involved in attack so it is likely that as Chelsea improves, he could be on the end of more opportunities.

In terms of a sale, Liverpool and many others could have signed him for £40m and it seemed a risk at the time because of the season Chelsea had just endured. But, now, it looks like a missed opportunity. With reports of Chelsea looking to sit down about his contract soon, he is likely to sign an improved deal after becoming a key player.

It’s unlikely anyone is budging their way into that midfield three of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Gallagher anytime soon. And yet, if Liverpool had pulled the trigger on the deal, we would have seen a high-energy, all-action Gallagher at Anfield under a manager who would have given him a Jordan Henderson-esque role and told him to roam free for the good of the team. In the end, however, it seems to have worked out pretty well for Klopp so far this season.