Conor Gallagher has been with Atletico Madrid for six months, and it appears that the Spanish media has made up its mind on the midfielder. After rising through the ranks at Chelsea, the Englishman opted to leave the club after learning that he would not be a starter under new boss Enzo Maresca.
Despite a strong 2023/24 season, Gallagher was not anticipated to play much at Chelsea in the future, thus he transferred to Atletico Madrid after the club accepted a proposal from the La Liga side. He joined the ranks of David Beckham and Jude Bellingham as the most recent English player to play in Spain.
Half a year after making the transfer, and with Atletico in a title competition with local rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona, he’s made quite an impression, and the media has spoken.
Conor Gallagher’s Season at Atletico
It’s been a mixed bag so far
Despite Chelsea’s struggles in 2023/24, Gallagher had a solid season. He scored 16 goals in 50 games, and it was stunning to see the Blues willing to let him go. His start in Spain was also promising, and the choice to sell him appeared unwise. Gallagher scored twice in his first four La Liga outings, and it appeared that he would be essential to Diego Simeone and his team’s success this season.
Following a promising start, however, things have gradually deteriorated, and he has not scored another goal for the club. In fact, he has not scored a single goal in the league since September, and his minutes in the team have decreased dramatically. Gallagher has only played 48% of Atletico Madrid’s available minutes in La Liga as of this writing. He has not played a full match in the division since November, and he hasn’t fared any better in other competitions.
Conor Gallagher’s Atletico Madrid stats
Games
30
Starts
19
Minutes
1,633
Goals
2
Assists
0
Yellow cards.
3
Tackles-per-game
1.5
Shots-per-game
0.6
Passes-per-game
26
The midfielder has three assists in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, but has not scored in any of his 12 appearances. He’s only played the full 90 minutes once in each, and it’s easy to conclude that his value in the squad has already diminished dramatically in Simeone’s eyes.
The Spanish Media on Gallagher
They aren’t impressed
After initially promising to be a great signing, the Spanish media has focused on Gallagher’s troubles this season. AS, a popular media organisation, has released an editorial titled The Gallagher File, which examines his form and what’s going on. They emphasised his promising start and the optimism that greeted his arrival. Early in the season, he looked the role and earned the moniker ‘Pitbull’ from Simeone. He also exhibited a commitment to the country by learning Spanish for his early interviews.
His rudimentary comprehension of the language is all he’s obtained thus far, which, according to AS via talkSPORT, is a big reason for his difficulties. To overcome the language barrier, he has been placed in an unexpected position on the pitch, closer to Cesar Azpilicueta in defence, who also speaks English.
Another difficulty is that Pablo Barrios is performing well in midfield, so Gallagher has been moved to the left to accommodate the talented 21-year-old. Eleven Atletico players have played more minutes this season than the former Chelsea star, and he confronts a difficult task if he wants to turn things around in Spain. According to AS, he will be given a lifeline and the opportunity to redeem himself because Koke’s injury and Barrios’ suspension leave the team short on choices ahead of a La Liga match against Valencia this weekend. Now is the time for the 25-year-old to show everyone what he’s capable of. Only time will tell if he can take advantage of the opportunity and re-establish himself as Simeone’s ‘Pitbull’.
