Conor Gallagher sends message to Mauricio Pochettino after Chelsea exit
- England midfielder admits he is 'sad' Argentine has left Stamford Bridge
- Gallagher given responsibility of captaining Chelsea by Pochettino
- Enzo Maresca has taken the reins in west London on a long-term contract
Conor Gallagher has thanked Mauricio Pochettino for showing "belief and trust" in his ability during his time as Chelsea manager.
The 24-year-old, who is expected to play a prominent role for England at Euro 2024, established himself as a first-team regular in Chelsea's midfield alongside Enzo Fernandez and record-signing Moises Caicedo, and eventually registered 50 appearances in all competitions during 2023/24 - more than any other Blues player.
Gallagher was often handed the captain's armband by Pochettino as captain Reece James and vice-captain Ben Chilwell struggled to overcome injury, with his performance levels enough for him to become a regular in Gareth Southgate's England plans.
But despite Chelsea enjoying some strong end-of-season form, Pochettino parted ways with the club by mutual agreement. His departure brought to an end a tumultuous year that saw the Argentine disagree with the club's hierarchy over transfer policy and initially struggle to build a rapport with the supporters - though he eventually built bridges despite his Tottenham connections.
Gallagher was keen to thank his former manager for everything he did for him at Chelsea, and told reporters at England's training camp that he was "sad" to see Pochettino go,
"Of course he has done so much for me so I was sad, sad for him and his coaching staff," Gallagher said (via ESPN). "I've really enjoyed it [time under Pochettino]. When I'm playing football I am happy and I have been playing on a consistent basis this season. I just wanted to work as hard as possible to help Chelsea as much as I can and England when I played.
"A lot of credit to Pochettino for giving me that opportunity to show Chelsea what I could do in the last season, hopefully there is still room for improvement.
"He just showed his belief and trust in me which is all a player wants to be honest. If a manager shows you a bit of love, it makes you play better. Long story short, it gives you confidence and that's what it gave me so I just build on that."
Chelsea have appointed Enzo Maresca as Pochettino's successor - the Italian led Leicester City to the Championship title last season - and Gallagher said that he's "really excited" to work with him despite ongoing speculation over his future.
Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur have been strongly linked with moving for Gallagher, though recent reports have suggested that Chelsea may look to revisit new contract talks with their academy graduate and instead look to sell other players to meet Profit and Sustainability Rules.
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