Gallagher had a mixed debut season with the Blues, but under Pochettino in 2023–24, he has since emerged as a key player.

This season, he has made 29 starts and 3 substitute appearances, with Gallagher most recently contributing with his first three goals of the year.

The England international scored twice as Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace by the same score in the Premier League on Monday night, after his goal in the FA Cup victory over Aston Villa last week.

Gallagher is considered an important player and has only missed one top-flight match under Pochettino, but his long-term future is still up for discussion.Gallagher has less than 18 months left on his contract, and co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are willing to trade him in order to improve the team’s standing with FFP.

Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja’s failure to be sold in January have realistically made that possibility more necessary, and as long as Gallagher does not sign a new long-term contract, rumors will continue.

Though Pochettino has admitted to reporters that the 23-year-old would love to continue his career with his boyhood club, it seems doubtful at this point.

As reported by the Daily Mail, Pochettino stated: “He advised me to remain at Chelsea, but ultimately, it’s about him and the team.I’m not going through this kind of thing; he has another year left on his contract. I believe it is between him and the club.”

Due to their current need to balance the books by June 30th, Chelsea will need to move quickly when the summer transfer window starts in June.

They encountered a similar dilemma the previous year, but with the increased limitations on their individual FFP matters, other teams might encounter a similar circumstance this time around.

Since August 2022, Gallagher has made 77 appearances for Chelsea, tallying seven assists and six goals in those games.