Since Conor Gallagher was appointed at Stamford Bridge, Joe Cole has pleaded with Enzo Maresca to prevent Chelsea from moving the player.
Following the unexpected departure of Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the season, Maresca, 44, is scheduled to be introduced.
Following intense negotiations with the club’s owners, who subsequently named Maresca as one of their top candidates to take over, Pochettino decided to leave the Premier League team.
Maresca brought Leicester City back into the English top flight with an excellent 2023-24 campaign, with the Foxes winning the Championship with 97 points.
The Italian will seek to experience greater success at Chelsea, who were languishing in mid-table for much of last season before five successive wins saw them finish sixth and qualify for Europe.
Although Cole thinks Maresca “ticks every box,” the former Serie A midfielder has asked Maresca to stop Chelsea from offloading Gallagher as soon as he gets to Stamford Bridge.
Gallagher is allegedly up for sale at Chelsea as they attempt to comply with profit and sustainability regulations, but Cole feels he is too valuable to lose.
Cole, who spent seven years at Chelsea, told talkSPORT that “if I were sitting in front of the Chelsea owners, I would be telling them that Conor is arguably the most important player in the dressing room.”
He knows the club before you even discuss his actions on the pitch. You truly learn the value of a player in trying circumstances, and Conor never fails to motivate the team and be there for them.
“I believe that keeping him is essential for the club.” He is among the top three players in the dressing room from a football perspective alone; I’ll admit that I don’t understand the financial aspect of it.
The former midfielder for Chelsea, Andy Townsend, concurs that Maresca has to use every effort to retain Gallagher at Stamford Bridge.
Instead of the injured Reece James last season, Gallagher captained Chelsea regularly. The Premier League clubs Tottenham and Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing him.
TalkSPORT host Townsend stated, “I thought Conor Gallagher had a really good season.” I think he played some excellent pieces.
I believe he improved his game last season and he was good while on loan at Crystal Palace. Compared to Enzo [Fernandez], his partnership with Moises Caicedo is far superior.
“Please don’t sell him, I need him and desperately want him to stay,” Maresca may conceivably appeal to the leadership. He played incredibly well, in my opinion, and should be allowed to stay.
Cole supported Chelsea’s move to sign Maresca, even if he was sad to see Pochettino depart, adding, “I think he ticks every box.” Positive things have always been spoken about him, so that’s encouraging.
