Chelsea have continued to produce some amazing young talent from their academy over the last few years.

Several of these talented players have gone on to have successful loan spells in the Premier League and elsewhere and have been sold for good money.

To name a few such deals – Fikayo Timori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham in the recent past.

However, one player who is still sticking around at Chelsea is Conor Gallagher.

The midfielder has suddenly become a vital part of Chelsea’s plans this season after starting only 18 league games last season.

Gallagher has already started 12 games in the league this season and has played the second-most minutes among outfield players for Chelsea.

The below visualisation shows where Conor Gallagher ranks for some of the key metrics when compared with the other left-sided central midfielders in Europe’s Tier-1 leagues from the 23/24 season so far.

The 23-year-old Conor Gallagher brings a lot of energy and versatility to Pochettino’s Chelsea, and those qualities are the two biggest reasons why Gallagher has become a regular member of the starting 11 this season.

Gallagher, playing predominantly as a left-sided central midfielder, has four league assists — two more than any other Chelsea player this season.

The midfielder has formed a strong partnership, particularly with Cole Palmer this season.

His biggest strength has always been to be well involved in the first build-up phase by being press-resistant and carrying the ball forward.

His energy allows him to move up and down the pitch, and it is no surprise he ranks well above the league median for touches in the opposition penalty area per 90.

Gallagher also has the much-needed physicality to play for the intense pressing Pochettino.

Conor Gallagher’s numbers look promising so far, and it is no surprise he has held on for regular playing time at Chelsea and is proving his doubters wrong.

It will be interesting to see if he continues to regularly start for Chelsea throughout the season as we enter a critical few months.