Conor Gallagher: What's happened since he left Chelsea?

Chelsea have made plenty of controversial transfer decisions under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, but few deals proved as divisive as the sale of midfielder Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid.

Frozen out of the side amid claims of a poor tactical fit under Enzo Maresca, Gallagher was linked with both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa before Diego Simeone launched a charm offensive to lure the Blues academy graduate over to Spain.

The saga was a clunky one, with Gallagher stranded in Spain for a week while Chelsea tried to find an Atletico player to sign in exchange. A move for Samu Omorodion collapsed and Gallagher returned to England, before jetting back to Madrid after the two teams shook hands over Joao Felix instead.

But with the �34m transfer now firmly behind us, how has Gallagher settled into life in Spain?

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Impact on pitch

Before he had kicked a ball, Atletico made it clear they were all-in on Gallagher. Given a hero's welcome for his presentation, their social media team took every opportunity to express their love for their newest midfielder online.

It was an obvious risk to hype up a new signing to such an extent, but Atletico's faith in Gallagher was quickly justified. His first start came in the team's fourth La Liga fixture, and he was celebrating his first goal just weeks later.

Heading into the October international break, Gallagher racked up two goals in seven appearances for Atletico, firmly establishing himself as a key part of the furniture under Simeone - a manager who truly appreciates Gallagher's blend of technical quality and relentless energy.

Given the nickname 'El Pitbull', Gallagher was even named Atletico's Player of the Month for September as a reward for his performances.

Social reaction

Few Chelsea players have divided opinion as strongly as Gallagher. He was a reliable player in 2022/23 before blossoming into one of the stars of the short-lived Mauricio Pochettino era, yet not every supporter was conviced.

While some questioned how Chelsea had managed to secure �34m for an unwanted flop, others demanded higher compensation for the sale of a player who not only dazzled on the pitch, but connected with fans like nobody else in the squad had managed to do.