‘A steal for us’ – Baggies star raves over signing who ‘will become a top player’
West Brom captain Jake Livermore believes that Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher will become a “top, top player” and has been impressed with him since his arrival.
Gallagher, who spent last season on loan in the Championship with Charlton Athletic and Swansea City, has made three starts for the Baggies in the Premier League and has kept Romaine Sawyers out of the side in recent weeks.
A Chelsea academy graduate, the 20-year-old is in line for another start against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and Livermore has clearly been impressed.
“His energy levels and quality in training every day is a steal for us and I’m tipping him to be a top, top player,” he told West Brom’s official website.
“He wants to learn and has great ability going forward, but on the flip side he’s more than responsible at tracking back and he’s just got bags of energy. The athleticism that he’s got is what the game is becoming now and he’s got that in abundance. He’s been very impressive and I think he can be a really important player for us this season.”
Yet to convince
While Gallagher’s energy and enthusiasm on the pitch has been impressive, he is yet to convince that he can provide the primary creative outlet for a Premier League side.
He is yet to provide a goal or an assist and can be wasteful in possession, completing just 68% of his 36 attempted passes against Fulham on Monday (via WhoScored).
So far this season he is generating just 0.02 expected goals plus assists per 90 and has completed one key pass and one pass into the box in total (via FBRef).
Three matches into his Baggies Premier League career and it might be harsh to judge Gallagher. It is good to hear that his effort in training is good and he has plenty of time to prove himself. However, as of yet, he has not shown enough in terms of creativity.
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