There was talk that Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah could leave Chelsea and John Obi Mikel was harshly critical of the decision.
Conor Gallagher is expected to join Atletico Madrid soon, while Trevoh Chalobah is also on the way. The former has decided not to sign a new deal with the club. He is in the final year of his contract with Chelsea and the player was recently benched by the Blues as they tried to force him out of the club.
Chalobah also finds himself on the fringes of the first team. The versatile defender has no future at Stamford Bridge and it will be interesting to see if Chelsea can find a suitable destination for him.
Meanwhile, former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has strongly criticised the club for its handling of the two players. Obi Mikel pointed out that Gallagher and Chalobah have been Chelsea fans since childhood and that selling these players to balance the books would be bad business for the owners.
He also added that Gallagher was exceptional for Chelsea last season. Mikel believes Gallagher was Chelsea’s second best player after Cole Palmer. The Englishman was undoubtedly a key player for the Blues last season and was one of the first names on the team sheet under Mauricio Pochettino. Gallagher also captained the club on several occasions last season.
“Of course, two young lads who bleed blue, exactly,” he said on his podcast, The Obi One Podcast. “Through and through. In the club when they were little lads and now we have to sell them to make sure the books balance.”
“Then it comes down to the owners just spending way too much money and buying anyone who has a price. They just spend way too much money and buy way too many players that we don’t need.
“Now you have to sell. For me the best player last season, apart from Cole Palmer, was Conor Gallagher. He was the only player you could see putting in the effort, running and performing the way he needed to stay at the club, you know what I mean.
“I think he should still stay at the club. And Chalobah too when he came back from his injury. He was the best centre-back we had. I don’t think we lost a game when he came back, or probably one or two or something.
“But he was absolutely fantastic when he came back from his injury and he played all the games. Poch trusted him and brought him into the team and he played all the games, he was absolutely fantastic. Now we have to sell these two players to balance the books.
“Two young players bleeding Chelsea dry and now you have to sell them to balance the books. I just think it’s bad business from the owners. Absolutely bad business from the owners.”
Chalobah has also become a handy option for the Blues. His ability to fit into any defensive position makes him an asset to the club. Chelsea should have treated him better and convinced him to stay with them. It seems that Chelsea are now ready to balance the books by selling their homegrown players and it will be interesting to see where Chalobah ends up.
