Chelsea midfielder and Tottenham Hotspur target Conor Gallagher has been given the captain’s armband against Bournemouth his afternoon.
Tottenham Hotspur may still be tracking Conor Gallagher as he prepares for big day with Chelsea.
The Blues are back in action this afternoon as they travel to the South Coast to take on Bournemouth.
Mauricio Pochettino went into the international break with a 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest, so a big response is needed today.
Chelsea lineup confirmed
Pochettino has decided to bench Ben Chilwell today, meaning Chelsea need to pass the captain’s armband elsewhere.
Midfielder Gallagher takes the role today as he captains his boyhood club in the Premier League.
That’s a hugely emotional moment for Gallagher, who captained Chelsea in the EFL Cup against AFC Wimbledon last month.
Thiago Silva is in the starting lineup yet it’s Gallagher who is named captain today rather than the veteran Brazilian.
Mykhailo Mudryk is given a chance to shine this afternoon, featuring alongside Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson in the final third.
Lesley Ugochukwu starts in midfield too, joining Enzo Fernandez and Gallagher in the Chelsea engine room.
Chelsea lineup v Bournemouth: Sanchez; Gusto, Silva, Disasi, Colwill; Fernandez, Gallagher, Ugochukwu; Mudryk, Sterling, Jackson.
Chelsea substitutes: Bergstrom, Petrovic, Maatsen, Chilwell, Gilchrist, Palmer, Washington, Matos, Stutter.
Tottenham Hotspur hopes over Conor Gallagher fading
This isn’t ideal news for Tottenham Hotspur, who have been chasing Gallagher in recent weeks.
Reports from the London Evening Standard on deadline day suggested that Tottenham had made a verbal offer worth around £40million.
That didn’t meet Chelsea’s asking price and the deadline passed with Tottenham landing the midfielder.
It’s hard to see Gallagher fancying a Chelsea exit when he is being the captain’s armband anyway, with Spurs potentially needing to move on.
A lot can change between now and January, but this could be one pursuit Tottenham need to forget about ahead of the winter transfer window.
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