The intensity of Conor Gallagher’s first training sessions as an Atlético de Madrid player caught Diego Pablo Simeone’s eye. The Argentine coach knew the physical qualities of the English midfielder, but in person he was struck by how he repeated his efforts in pressing and returning and by the verticality he brings to the game with his dribbling. In the rotation plan that Simeone has prepared for tonight’s game against Espanyol (21.30, Movistar), Gallagher is tipped to be a starter.
For some time now, Simeone has been demanding energy and legs in the midfield to sustain this style of football that has been imposed by quick transitions whenever spaces open up and free players are found. Gallagher suited Cholo so well and was so taken with what he saw in his first sessions that he was on the verge of granting him a starting spot against Girona. De Paul finally played, but Simeone brought him on after the hour mark. Usually that is the moment reserved for the changes with which the Atlético coach seeks to give a twist to the games. Atlético was winning 2-0 thanks to two gifts from Gazzaniga, but had generated very little play because Girona dominated with the ball. The fans were eager to see Gallagher after the uncertainty that was generated when the transfer operation was halted because Chelsea rejected the exchange with Samu Omorodion at the last minute. The English international was greeted with one of those thunderous ovations in which the red-and-white fans feel like they are in front of one of their own. A supportive, passionate and upright player.
His first notable action was the confirmation for both Simeone and the crowd. Gallagher snatched the ball from Arnau in his own half and darted towards the Girona area amid the roar emanating from the stands. Before he could make the final pass, Portu snatched the ball from him and Gallagher immediately returned to defend. The action also confirmed the words of Patrick Vieira, the French coach with whom he exploded when Chelsea loaned him to Crystal Palace in the 21-22 season. “His strengths are running in defence and stretching opposing teams. He always finds the energy to get into a really dangerous area that allows us to have more players and also take advantage of more opportunities. Beyond his energy, it is about that responsibility he has for the defensive transition,” defined the French coach, with whom Gallagher achieved international status in that season in which he established himself as a box-to-box player with eight goals and three assists.
“I like him a lot. He does a great job. As a midfielder, as a playmaker, as a winger, wherever you put him, he has a level of work, talent and aggression that will do us very well. He has a great shot and has a lot of range,” Simeone said after his first training sessions. For tonight, Cholo has practiced with him as a partner for Julián Álvarez. Initially, both would play behind Sorloth. “With that enthusiasm and passion, we have to help him so that the adrenaline he puts in is positive for the team,” Simeone stressed after his debut against Girona.
Born 24 years ago in Epson, ten minutes from Chelsea’s training grounds, Gallagher grew up in the youth ranks admiring Frank Lampard. He is a contemporary of other youth players such as Recce James and Mason Mount. It is shocking that a player so closely associated with the club, of which he was one of its captains last season, has been sold. An agent who works with the London club says that his departure is related to the commercial purpose with which Chelsea treats the youth team. “Atletico will suit him, he is a good player, perhaps he lacks something more to play in teams like City or Barcelona, where the technical demands are higher,” says a source close to the Chelsea dressing room.
For the moment, Conor Gallagher has accelerated the military service times that new signings must undergo under Simeone.
Musso to compete with Oblak
The Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso, from Atalanta, was presented yesterday as a new Atlético de Madrid player. Coming from Atalanta, Musso arrives on loan to replace the Romanian Horatiu Moldovan who left for Sassuolo in Italy. After Jan Oblak found little competition in goalkeepers such as Adán, Grvic or Moldovan, the sporting management has looked for a goalkeeper who is an Argentine international, who will push the Slovenian more. “It is a difficult, important and dream challenge that I have sought out all my career and dreamed of all my life. Nothing I have achieved was easy, comfortable or just because I am in a zone where I can be calm and comfortable. I come knowing that I am competing with one of the best goalkeepers in the world, to give the team a hand, to make the squad even more competitive and to help what is going to be a very good season,” said Musso.
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