Chelsea fans are set to show their appreciation for Conor Gallagher by revealing a gigantic banner ahead of their Stamford Bridge showdown with their rivals Tottenham, who are being linked with a summer swoop amid his contract stalemate.
Organised by the fan group We Are The Shed and funded by supporters, the display will carry the message ‘Chelsea since birth’ above an image of Gallagher wearing the captain’s armband.
It will be the same size as other banners previously unveiled for Thiago Silva, Reece James and Thomas Tuchel which took up two tiers of the stands they surfed across.
One of their own, Gallagher has skippered the side this season in the absence of James and Ben Chilwell, but the 24-year-old’s current deal is due to expire at the end of next season.
That is encouraging interested clubs including Tottenham, while Newcastle, Liverpool, West Ham, Everton, Brighton and Fulham have also been linked.
Gallagher joined Chelsea at the age of eight and, as a homegrown player, he would represent pure profit in a summer when the club are said to need to sell to avoid a breach of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules. Chelsea dispute that suggestion.
Gallagher has been available for purchase in previous windows, one source at another club saying they were told a deal could be done for £40million last summer.
Yet there is no shortage of Chelsea supporters who do not want to lose another one of their academy graduates, particularly after a season in which he has proven valuable to the team.
Thursday will provide them with an opportunity to send a message to the hierarchy ahead of the summer.
Gallagher scored the equaliser in the come-from-behind 2-2 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday but his relentless running in midfield has also drawn appreciation from the fanbase, with statistics showing he is the Premier League's best presser of the ball.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino wants Gallagher to stay, having previously described him as ‘priceless’ with the England international one of the few players at Chelsea whose body has not broken down amid their injury crisis.