Conor Gallagher appeared to aim a subtle dig at Chelsea when reflecting on his first month as an Atletico Madrid following completion of a £34m transfer.

Gallagher’s departure from Stamford Bridge in August mirrored that of Mason Mount’s a year earlier, with Chelsea unable to agree a new contract with the home-grown midfielder and preferring not to risk losing him as a free agent when his deal was due to expire in 2025.

Due to the England international being a Cobham graduate, a big money sale came with the added bonus of the fee being considered ‘pure profit’ in the eyes of Profit & Sustainability Rules.

It was previously reported that Chelsea had only offered Gallagher a two-year contract with the option of a third. It came with a sizeable pay rise but the length paled into insignificance compared to other contracts in the squad that run to 2030 or beyond. He turned it down, twice.

So when Gallagher scored his first Atletico goal over the weekend and told The Athletic a few days later that he has “felt very wanted and appreciated” since moving to Madrid, fans couldn’t help but think at least part of that referred to the end of his time at Chelsea.

“[It] is important for any footballer,” he said of feeling valued by his club.

Gallagher, who spent 18 years as a Chelsea player – most of his life, also seems to have little problem in talking about Atletico being a step up for his career.

“Chelsea are a huge football club, one of the biggest in the world, along with Atletico. But I have taken that exciting step of playing Champions League football and challenging for trophies. It just builds me with even more confidence and happiness to play my best football,” he said.

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