Breaking news;Chelsea’s co-sporting directors reveal why Conor Gallagher was sold to Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea’s co-sporting directors explain why Conor Gallagher was sold to Atletico Madrid.

Co-sporting directors have talked up about the midfielder’s leaving.

Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, revealed why the club sold Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid.

The midfielder was the Blues’ on-field captain for much of last season and a crucial player under Mauricio Pochettino, but he was not in new manager Enzo Maresca’s plans for this season, and the club profited by selling him to Atletico for about £34 million in August.

The 24-year-old was a success story for Chelsea, breaking into the first squad and becoming a regular after joining the academy in 2006. Critics have claimed that Chelsea sold a top academy product solely to meet profit and sustainability criteria (PSR).

However, in a newspaper interview, Winstanley and Stewart attempted to set the record straight about the reasons for Gallagher’s exit and Mason Mount’s previous departure for Manchester United.

Winstanley told The Telegraph: “It’s not simply PSR; it’s contractual statuses and conditions. The two players you mentioned had contractual issues that we encountered. It’s critical for us to bring in talent.”

Stewart stated, “We have turned down interest from other players. Every decision has been based on performance, and people have opinions because this is football. And, of course, with homegrown players, it’s usually more emotional.”

Chelsea, now owned by Clearlake Capital, has likewise taken a longer-term approach to player contracts than other European clubs.

Cole Palmer is now under contract for nine years until June 2033, Enzo Fernandez until 2032, and six other first-team players until 2031. Chelsea players own eight of the ten longest active contracts in Europe’s five major leagues.

Stewart and Winstanley challenged the idea that the club’s contract approach is solely motivated by PSR restrictions. In December 2023, the Premier League voted to limit the amount of time a player’s transfer fee can be spread across their accounts, reducing it to a maximum of five years of amortization.

People usually sit and say, ‘Well, that’s what we’ve always done, so that’s what we’ve always got to keep doing,’ but without forward thinking and growth, everyone will remain still,” Winstanley remarked.

“So it’s a clever concept that the owners implemented early on and believed in. We were like, ‘Yeah, you can certainly see how this can work’ when we looked at it separately. We believe in it.

“You are no longer benefiting from a PSR position on it, but we have continued to use it. So, if it was only for PSR, we would have stopped.

“That was never at the forefront of the owners’ minds when we spoke to them about how we see it working, how we all see it working as a club.”

Stewart explained why Chelsea’s players are on longer-term contracts than other clubs’ players: “It’s because the players, their talent, and the value they have in the long run is very essential to the clubs.

“Really, it is the biggest nod to the ability to spot talent. You need to get that correct if you’re going to put players on these.