Chelsea remain one of the most inconsistent teams in the Premier League this year.
Mauricio Pochettino's side can take a point away from the Etihad or lose 4-2 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers – it's a coin flip every time.
However, while several players seem to oscillate between two extremes in terms of their performances in blue, a few will come out of this season with their stock higher than it was in August.
One of those will be Conor Gallagher, although for as consistent as he's been for the Pensioners, one recent addition earns more than him despite being less than impressive since making his debut.
How much Conor Gallagher makes at Chelsea
Gallagher has been with Chelsea for about 16 years now, joining the club's youth set-up in 2008 at just eight years old. The Epsom-born gem made a notable impact in the club's youth teams, making 92 appearances for the various age groups, scoring 17 goals, providing 13 assists and winning Chelsea's Academy Player of the Year award in May 2019.
With his ability too good to remain in the youth teams, the 6 foot midfielder spent the next three seasons on loan, first with Charlton Athletic, then West Bromwich Albion and finally Crystal Palace, where he made the biggest splash, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in 39 games.
In his first full season back at Stamford Bridge, the "game-changer", as former professional Jermaine Jenas dubbed him, played a noteworthy squad role in the team, making 49 appearances across all competitions – even if only 25 were starts.
However, this season, the "heart" of Chelsea, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, has already made 35 appearances – 31 starts – for Pochettino, scored four goals and provided six assists in a team that, as mentioned before, have been terribly inconsistent.
It was Gallagher's goal that won Chelsea the game against Leeds United in the FA Cup last night, and it would be hard to accuse the boyhood Blues fan of not putting a shift in every time he pulls on that shirt.
So, given his performances, effort levels and how much Pochettino plays him, you might expect the Englishman to be one of the club's highest earners, but that's just not the case.
In fact, his £50k-per-week wage doesn't even place him in the top 15 earners at Chelsea, let alone the top five, and what's even more bizarre is that there's a recent signing who earns more than him, despite being utterly underwhelming since joining the club.
How much Robert Sanchez has cost Chelsea
Yes, summer signing Robert Sanchez, a player who was dropped at Brighton & Hove Albion, currently earns more than Gallagher.
The Spaniard is on £60k-per-week in west London, which in and of itself may not seem massively outrageous for a first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League, but there is the issue: it doesn't look like he's first choice anymore.
Before injuring his knee against Everton in December, the former Seagulls shot-stopper was having a tough time of it, and while his struggles weren't getting quite the same attention as, say, Andre Onana's, he was still making blunders, as indicated below.
Since his injury, the young Đorđe Petrović has stepped between the sticks, and while he hasn't been perfect, he has looked far more assured in comparison.
For example, while the Serbian has a marginally worse passing accuracy than the Spaniard, he has a better save percentage and clean sheet percentage despite facing more shots on target per 90, which is ultimately the most important metric for a goalkeeper.
Shots on Target Against
4.91
5.71
Save Percentage
70.5%
71.2%
Clean Sheet Percentage
18.8%
22.2%
Passing Accuracy
82.1%
79.2%
In all, with his £25m transfer fee and the £1.7m in wages he's already earned, it's hard not to look at that £26.7m as money wasted from Chelsea's point of view, especially after he conceded two sloppy goals in his comeback last night.
Chelsea gem who won 9 duels v Leeds was the real hero over Gallagher
The young “phenomenon” was crucial to the Blues’ victory.
ByJack Salveson HolmesFeb 29, 2024
Ultimately, Chelsea are a club with many problems to deal with over the coming years, and it certainly looks as if they have given themselves another one in the "poor" Sanchez, as former Chelsea defender Scott Minto once described him.