Newcastle United have been relentlessly linked with signing Conor Gallagher in recent transfer windows, and it looks like this summer is going to be no different.
The midfielder was a loan target for Steve Bruce during the previous Toon manager’s reign on Tyneside, and rumours about a deal for Gallagher have continued after Eddie Howe’s arrival.
Howe is a big fan of the England international, and it has even been suggested that he would rather sign him over someone like Dominik Szoboszlai this summer. That is difficult to believe, but it appears that once again Gallagher is on the Magpies’ radar.
His future at Chelsea is up in the air, much like a lot of players at Stamford Bridge. It had been suggested that the 23-year-old would have a role to play under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, but it is clear that the Blues need to move some players on due to their over-inflated squad.
That could lead to Gallagher departing – either on loan or permanently.
Newcastle interested in signing Conor Gallagher
According to the Northern Echo, Newcastle would be willing to sign Gallagher this summer, and would even be interested in a possible loan deal for the midfielder.
It is difficult to envision that becoming a reality, given Chelsea’s unwillingness to do business with Howe’s side at the start of the year when we were linked with signing Gallagher. He was keen on a move, but was denied the chance to head to St James’ Park.
That opportunity could potentially arise again, although there would be some scepticism from fans if he were to arrive on Tyneside. Gallagher’s stock has dropped, while a poor cameo off the bench for England against North Macedonia on Monday night will have done nothing to silence his critics.
Gallagher clearly has the box-to-box energy to thrive in an Eddie Howe team, and is ‘fantastic at pressing the ball‘ in the eyes of Gareth Southgate. But despite this, he remains one of our more underwhelming midfield targets right now.
However, perhaps a loan deal will become more appealing the longer we go without reinforcements.
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