Conor Gallagher has chosen to go on loan to West Bromwich Albion — reports

The next big deal from the Chelsea Academy, Conor Gallagher, has reportedly made up his mind and will join West Bromwich Albion on loan for next season.

The 20-year-old was all set to go to Crystal Palace before the Eagles opted to bring in Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea instead. Since you can’t have more than one player on loan from another Premier League team, Gallagher had to look for another option. And it looks like West Brom have beaten out both Aston Villa and Leeds United for the youngster’s signature.

According to the reports, the only thing standing in the way of this deal now is Gallagher signing his long-term Chelsea contract extension, which should ensure that this temporary move remains just a temporary move and doesn’t turn into something more definitive, which is one of the usual risks in these things. The other big risk is of course not playing enough, but Gallagher proved himself more than capable in the Championship last season and should be able to do so again for the newly promoted side.