Transfer windows aren’t quiet at Chelsea these days.

Seemingly millions of players are snapped up by the Blues each summer, with midfield one area that is particularly stacked. However, one homegrown star is being forced out and could leave a rather large hole in the middle of the park.

Conor Gallagher, like Mason Mount before him, is set to depart Stamford Bridge, with Atletico Madrid stumping up significant cash after the England international rejected a couple of fresh contract offers.

Gallagher was an important part of Chelsea’s starting XI under Mauricio Pochettino and regularly captained the side, but has now been tossed aside by Enzo Maresca in favour of a myriad of other options.

But who should they be targeting as a potential replacement for the Spain-bound Englishman?

Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley was one the first names linked with replacing Gallagher when his move to Atletico started to gather pace.

A free-scoring option in the middle of the park, the Denmark international was a key figure as the Hoops romped to another Scottish Premiership title under Brendan Rodgers last season.

Riley smashed in 18 league goals last season, considerably more than Gallagher’s five in England’s top flight, but the 23-year-old’s arrival would undoubtedly carry a slight risk given he’s yet to play in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Jacob Ramsey enjoyed a real breakout season in 2022/23, scoring six top-flight goals, but last term was more disappointing in comparison.

The talented 23-year-old netted only once and had his rhythm disrupted by a couple of foot injuries, playing just 21 times in all competitions as a result.

The Villans are pretty well stacked in midfield, adding Enzo Barrenechea, Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana this summer to a squad that already includes John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara. There’d be similar competition at Chelsea but Ramsey would bring a more proven goalscoring touch than the Blues’ current options.

Scott McTominay has attracted a fair few stray criticisms since breaking through at Manchester United, but 2023/24 was arguably his most impressive in a rather shocking Premier League performance from the Red Devils.

The Scotland international frequently came up with the goods from the bench, scoring seven times in England’s top flight, and comes at a reasonable price of £30m, with United rejecting a lowball offer from Fulham so far this summer.

Newcastle United are a club in Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR) strife and the sale of a few players might be required between now and the end of the transfer window.

Sean Longstaff has previously attracted interest from United and had the best goalscoring season of his career last time out, hitting the back of the net eight times in all competitions.

Some English tax would undoubtedly be applied to his asking rate, but Chelsea could do worse than fill their midfield with a willing runner into the opposition box and that’s what Longstaff can provide.

Chelsea may feel they need to replace Gallagher, but in reality they already have far too many players in their senior squad.

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are expected to be Maresca’s first choice midfield partnership, but the likes of Lesley Ugochukwu, Omari Kellyman, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, Renato Veiga and Tino Anjorin are all still on the books.

The Blues have invested considerable cash into stocking pretty much every position and central midfield is no different. They might want to look towards the transfer market for a replacement, but if they aren’t willing to blood some of their youngsters into the first-team when an experienced professional leaves – relatively speaking – then what is the point of all that squad building?

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