West Brom big admirers of Chelsea midfielder, PL loan offer on the cards – report
West Brom could make a move to sign Conor Gallagher on loan from Chelsea if they win promotion to the Premier League, according to The Athletic.
Steve Madeley has reported that the Baggies are “big admirers” of Gallagher, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Charlton before heading to Swansea on a temporary basis in January.
Gallagher, 20, has impressed at both The Valley and Liberty Stadium, scoring six goals and supplying nine assists in 36 Championship appearances for both the Addicks and the Swans.
West Brom have their eye on the England Under-21 international and might offer him the chance to play first-team football in the Premier League next season, if Slaven Bilic’s side is able to win promotion from the Championship.
Gallagher is a versatile midfielder who has played on both wings, as a defensive midfielder and as an attacking midfielder this season.
According to stats by WyScout, the Chelsea midfielder has completed 76.7 per cent of his passes in the Championship this season, averaging 28.6 passes per 90 minutes.
In comparison, Filip Krovinovic has completed 86.6 per cent of his passes in the league but averages 48.1 passes per 90 minutes.
Clearly, Gallagher can’t be classed as being as good a playmaker as Krovinovic but the Swansea loan star stands out in other areas of his game by averaging 4.3 dribbles per 90 minutes and 33 per cent of his shots hit the target.
Gallagher is an ever-improving Jack-of-all-trades in the midfield who West Brom would be lucky to land on loan ahead of next season if they can lure him away from Chelsea.
Albion have history of being able to take a player on loan from Stamford Bridge and aiding his development into a star.
In other West Brom news, Albion are to be handed a potentially huge boost in their bid to sign Matheus Pereira permanently.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.