Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues battling Newcastle for Sadio Mane; Conor Gallagher unlikely to be regular next season, and more - May 6, 2023
Chelsea secured a 3-1 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday (May 6) in the Premier League. Conor Gallagher, Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix found the back of the net to help caretaker manager Frank Lampard register his first win since taking charge last month.
Meanwhile, the Blues are battling Newcastle United for the services of Bayern Munich attacker Sadio Mane. Elsewhere, a former player reckons Conor Gallagher is unlikely to be a first-team regular next season.
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on May 6, 2023:
Chelsea battling Newcastle United for Sadio Mane
Chelsea are locked in a battle with Newcastle United for Sadio Mane, according to Fichajes via The Hard Tackle.
The Senegalese forward remains linked with an exit from Bayern Munich this summer, despite only arriving at the club last year. The 31-year-old was a revelation with Liverpool in the Premier League but opted to join the Bavarians last summer.
The transfer hasn’t panned out how both parties would have envisioned it, despite Mane managing 12 goals and five assists from 35 games across competitions this season.
The Bundesliga side are reportedly ready to let him go amid interest from the Premier League. The Blues remain keen to add more firepower to their attack and have set their sights on Mane. However, they will have to ward off interest from the Magpies to get their man.
Conor Gallagher unlikely to be regular next season
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf reckons Conor Gallagher is not ready to become a first-team regular for the Blues yet.
The Englishman enjoyed a brilliant loan spell with Crystal Palace in the 2021-22 season, prompting the Blues to induct him in their first team this season. However, the 23-year-old has blown hot and cold, despite registering 41 appearances this campaign.
Gallagher’s discipline has also been a problem, having picked up 11 yellow cards this season. In his column for Dan and Si Talk Chelsea, Leboeuf said that the Englishman deserves another season to prove himself but only as a squad player.
“I’ve found Gallagher a bit shaky and overwhelmed most of the time, and that’s why he’s made mistakes and gets too many yellow cards and is also a little bit too tense. I want to give him another season though and another chance but not as a regular starter at the beginning of the season,” wrote Leboeuf.
He continued:
“But if he channels his temper better, he can be a fantastic player no doubt. He showed it at (Crystal) Palace, but he has to settle down. He’s a young player and has time on his side, but it’s a question mark whether he stays or not. He has the mentality to make it no doubt, but it’s how he handles the pressure and his temper is the real question.”
Chelsea are spoilt for choice in midfield, so Gallagher could struggle for chances at Stamford Bridge next season.
Romelu Lukaku root of all problems at Stamford Bridge, says Gus Poyet
Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet has blamed Romelu Lukaku for the Blues’ recent woes.
The Belgian striker re-joined the London club in the summer of 2021 in a blockbuster deal that eventually went south. Despite a strong start to the season, Lukaku soon turned out to be a problem at the Stamford Bridge, thanks to a controversial interview in Italy.
He was shipped back to Inter Milan on loan last summer and hasn’t done anything to warrant another chance with the London giants. Speaking on CaughtOffside’s DEBRIEF podcast, Poyet said Lukaku’s arrival kickstarted the events that eventually cost Thomas Tuchel his job.
“The decline of Chelsea, for me, this is a personal opinion, started with the problem with (Romelu) Lukaku; from that moment on, Chelsea were never the same. Never. Lukaku came back (for) £97m and started the season on fire; he was scoring; the team was playing but picked up a with a little injury, went out (of the team) and didn’t come back very strong,” said Poyet.
He continued:
“Then he made an interview in Italy, which is what I called a nuclear bomb because you can’t say that during the season. Then (Thomas) Tuchel didn’t take it well and started the kind of ‘you’re not playing, I am playing a different system’, and from then on Tuchel was fighting to keep his position.”
Lukaku has managed nine goals and five assists in 28 appearances across competitions this season for the Nerazzurri.