‘He can’t make our starting 11 back in the days’ – John Mikel Obi says Chelsea man should be dropped after Everton defeat
John Obi Mikel has now claimed that one Chelsea player who has been very important for Mauricio Pochettino would actually be nowhere near the teams he played in.
He told the ‘Obi One’ podcast that he doesn’t believe Gallagher would get into those sides, despite actually thinking he is a decent player.
Gallagher was back amongst the starters yesterday after serving his suspension in the damning defeat at Old Trafford midway through last week.
However, his return did not inspire the Blues back to winning ways, with them falling to a 2-0 defeat to Everton.
The match against Manchester United was the first game he had missed this season, with the England international clearly playing a key role for Mauricio Pochettino.
Mikel has questioned however whether the midfielder meets the standards of the club that they set when he was a player here.
Mikel on Gallagher
He said: “He’s a decent player. Is he a Chelsea midfield player? Starting 11? Back in the day when we were playing would Gallagher get into the starting 11? No chance, I don’t think so.”
So far, there is still no news of Gallagher signing a new contract to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge.
The Cobham graduate was still the subject of transfer interest as late as deadline day over the summer, with those higher up seemingly not yet convinced of his abilities.
It feels as if ultimately that the 23-year-old is certainly good enough to compete for a place in the Chelsea side, however not to a point where the system is based around his strengths.
Instead, it would be preferrable for the manager to begin to play a system that brings the best out of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, who were both signed for club-record fees in consecutive transfer windows.