After a successful season spent on loan in the Championship, first with Charlton Athletic then with Swansea City, young Conor Gallagher will be stepping up to the Premier League level this season. And he will do so with a team also stepping up from the Championship, West Bromwich Albion, who confirmed today his signing on a season-long loan.
As expected, Gallagher signed a five-year Chelsea contract extension as well before heading out.
The 20-year-old midfielder links up with Slaven's side for the 2020/21 @premierleague campaign.
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) September 17, 2020
Welcome to the Albion, Conor ⚪️https://t.co/z5USk8S9qs
The 20-year-old midfielder joins Slaven Bilić’s outfit that finished second in the second division last year, but have not really strengthened much beyond adding veteran defender and Chelsea legend Branislav Ivanović and signing a new backup goalkeeper to replace the retired Ali Al-Habsi.
While challenging, we will be expecting Gallagher to push the likes of Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers for starter’s minutes, while competing with the younger midfielders on the team as well including Sam Field, who was teammates with Gallagher at Charlton last season as well.
“I like to think I’m a box-to-box player but I’m also versatile. I like to think that I can play wherever in midfield and look to create chances and try to chip in with goals too. I hope I’ve got a lot to offer.
“The challenge doesn’t worry me. I chose to go to Charlton last season knowing it would be tough but I felt I could flourish as a player in those circumstances.
“I’m willing to help the team as much as I can. I spoke to Slaven Bilić the other day just to see how things stood and I liked what I heard and how he wanted me to play. It all made sense to me and I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
-Conor Gallagher; source: WBA
Good luck, Conor! Do us proud.