Rio Ferdinand says 23-year-old Chelsea star is ‘fighting’ for his future under Todd Boehly

Rio Ferdinand believes Conor Gallagher is fighting for his future at Chelsea

Speaking on his Youtube Channel (h/t Metro), Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has told Chelsea star Conor Gallagher that he is fighting for his future at Stamford Bridge under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

This comes ahead of the 2023 summer transfer window as Chelsea faces making some decisions. Bringing in players over the last two windows has seen the Blues end wu[p with a bloated squad.

One player who is far from assured of a future in West London is Gallagher. The 23-year-old is far from a first-teamer at Stamford Bridge and could arguably fall further down the pecking order should Chelsea bring in more midfielders.

Gallagher struggled for game time under Graham Potter but has been offered a new lease of life under Frank Lampard. He opened the scoring last weekend against Bournemouth as the Blues picked up their first win in Lampard’s second spell at the club.

A new manager is set to come in before the 2023/24 season and Gallagher’s future remains far from certain. Ferdinand believes the 23-year-old still has much to prove his worth to the side going forward.

“A new manager is coming in so I think Gallagher still has a lot to do, like the others, to prove he should be there next season.”

Ferdinand is well aware of Gallagher having come through the youth system at Cobham. While the Englishman will want to continue, Todd Boehly and his management could have different ideas.

“I think Conor Gallagher and a few others there are fighting for their futures under this new ownership.”

Chelsea’s lavish transfer outlay could come back to bite them given the financial hit we will take owing to a lack of UEFA Champions League football next season. Cashing in on surplus talents is a possibility and Gallagher could be one of the players to bite the bullet.

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Liverpool are among the teams interested in Gallagher but interest has in the past few weeks gone cold. Gallagher is young and could become an asset for a top-flight side under the right manager. Whether that will be at Chelsea remains to be seen.