Conor Gallagher and his impressive rise in English football

It has taken less than a season for Conor Gallagher to emerge as one of England’s brightest young talents.

A loan move from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer would see him go on to impress in the top flight of English football, in a side filled with other exciting young prospects.

The 22-year-old has been one of the Eagles’ most consistent performers all season, with suggestions that he could work himself into his parent side’s midfield when he returns in the summer.

Gallagher is just another player who has seen the benefits of Chelsea’s loan system over the years and should he continue with his high level of performances, the only way is up for the central midfielder.

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He joined the Chelsea academy in 2008 before signing a first team contract ten years later, and won the club’s Academy Player of the Year in the same season thanks to his contributions for the U23 side.

Gallagher was then rewarded with his first loan move from the west London club, signing for then Championship side Charlton Athletic for the 19/20 campaign, and he would go on to make an almost instant impact for the Addicks.

His first appearance came off the bench in their season opener away at Blackburn Rovers, playing 24 minutes. A week later he started in midfield against Stoke City at home, scoring his side’s third and final goal of the day to make it two wins from two. The then 19-year-old took it one step further the following week, scoring and assisting in a 2-2 draw away at Barnsley, proving to boss Lee Bowyer that he could be a crucial part of the team.

He would make another 24 appearances for the south-east London side amassing four goals and three assists in the Championship, with his form impressing those at Chelsea so much that he was recalled by the Premier League side.

Swansea City would be his next destination in the same season, with the Welsh side pushing for promotion to the top flight. His move away from Charlton would prove to be a huge blow to them as they ended up being relegated to League One come the end of the campaign.

A move to the Swans would prove to be a step up for Gallagher, so much so that they eventually reached a top six finish in the Championship. He featured 21 times in total, providing seven assists. However he was unable to help them secure a return to the Premier League, with Swansea losing to Brentford in the play-off semi-finals.

Come the end of the season he returned to Cobham, and was soon given the opportunity to experience top flight football for the first time.

Chelsea loaned him out to recently promoted West Bromwich Albion for the 20/21 campaign, but it would prove to be a tough season for the Baggies. They finished 19th and were subsequently relegated from the Premier League with Gallagher making 32 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice and assisting twice.

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Once again he made his way back to Cobham for pre-season and soon joined his fourth club on loan from Chelsea, arriving at Palace for the current campaign. It was clear to see very quickly that such a move would allow him to elevate his game.

In just his third match for Patrick Vieira’s side, he scored twice away at West Ham to earn them a point on the road, before providing an assist in their home win against Tottenham Hotspur a couple of weeks later, their first victory of the season. Gallagher was also on hand to provide a goal and assist in Palace’s 2-0 win away at Manchester City.

Such form for the south London side would earn him his first ever call up to the senior England squad, and he played the entirety of the second half in their 10-0 win away at San Marino in November. Another brace for Palace would come against Everton in December, with the 22-year-old thoroughly enjoying his time in the centre of the park for his side.

Gallagher is top of the charts for goal contributions at the Eagles so far this season, scoring eight goals and assisting five in 30 games in all competitions. His efforts have also had a helping hand in Palace’s progression to the FA Cup semi-finals, but he will be unable to feature at Wembley due to their opponents being his parent club Chelsea.

The current international break has also been beneficial to Gallagher, who made his first start for England on Saturday evening in a 2-1 friendly win against Switzerland, where he picked up an assist for Luke Shaw’s goal and was given the award for Player of the Match.

As the season approaches its latter stages, Gallagher will surely establish himself as one of Palace’s most influential players for their campaign. He has produced strong and mature performances in midfield and has thoroughly deserved his England call ups.

Suggestions have been made as to whether or not he will feature for Chelsea next season, and you could certainly argue that he has earned such a privilege. He may also have more regular involvements for his country, particularly as they prepare for their World Cup campaign later this year.

What does remain clear though, is that Gallagher is another prospect to keep an eye on in future seasons, with more club and country success surely on the horizon.

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