Wayne Bridge believes his former club Chelsea are a 'shambles' (Image: Getty)
Wayne Bridge believes his old club Chelsea would be getting rid of their second-best player this summer if Conor Gallagher is sold. The former England left-back has given his take on the 'shambles' at Stamford Bridge since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took charge of the boardroom.
Extortionate spending in the transfer market has failed to prevent two consecutive seasons of finishing well outside the top four. Mauricio Pochettino at least managed to bump the Blues up from a dismal 12th in 2022/23 to sixth last term, but he mutually agreed to leave the club once the season concluded.
With the newly-appointed Enzo Maresca finding his feet ahead of next campaign, Chelsea are reportedly looking to cash in on Gallagher amid interest from Aston Villa, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.
The Blues reportedly want £50million for the homegrown talent, whose sale would make complying with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) significantly easier. But Bridge is adamant that sanctioning a deal for the midfielder would be unwise.
"Chelsea just surprise me all the time at the moment," explained the 43-year-old, who won a Premier League title with the Blues and has now partnered up with Betfred to become their ambassador for Euro 2024.
"It's been a bit of a shambles down there. The fact Conor Gallagher is in the mix just goes to show that when I say 'shambles', it is a shambles, because he's probably their second-best player after Cole Palmer. It just seems all over the shop."
Conor Gallagher could by sold by Chelsea against his wishes this summer (Image: Getty)
Gallagher's name isn't the only one on the chopping block, with fellow homegrown stars Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah also expected to move on before the start of next season. Maresca, meanwhile, is reportedly keen to bring in players of his own.
A goalkeeper, a left-back and a forward are all believed to be on the former Leicester City manager's wish list, although Bridge has stressed the importance of conducting an assessment into Chelsea's current crop of stars before making any major calls.
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"[Maresca] needs to get in there, really, and see all the players before he makes a decision," he said. "I don't think you can rush to a decision until you know exactly what's going on.
"There could be a few faces he's really unsure about when he sees them play. Sometimes, as a manager, you can see players week in, week out, but when you start working with them, they're not like you thought."
