The expensively put together Chelsea team has been hard to watch this season. They are struggling to stay in the top half of the Premier League and look like they will miss out on the Champions League for the second year in a row.

It looks like Mauricio Pochettino’s job in the dugout is getting more and more unstable because he hasn’t been able to steady the ship since he took over in the summer.

The news that the club is thinking about moving Conor Gallagher this month to help balance the books is sure to make fans even more angry, even though Jamie Carragher called the young Englishman the team’s “best player” in 2023–24.

However, there may be a way out of this mess. Nicolò Barella, a player rumored to be interested in moving to Stanford Bridge, could be the perfect alternative for Gallagher.

Reports from Spain (via TEAMtalk) say that Chelsea is one of several Premier League teams that want to sign the Inter star this year. If they do, it would surely help them deal with losing Gallagher.

Liverpool, which is trying to win the title, and Newcastle United, which is in the running for the fourth spot, are also interested in the Italian playmaker.

Last season, Serie A named the 26-year-old player the best defender. His contract at the San Siro ends in 2026, so this month could be a great time to make an offer.

However, Todd Boehly and his team will have to spend even more money if they want to make this deal happen. According to the story, Inter wants between £70m and £80m for their star player. However, with how much Chelsea has been spending lately, that amount is almost like pocket money.

Nicolò Barella might be the best person to replace Conor Gallagher.

Barella would be a huge step up from Gallagher in almost every way this season, even though Gallagher has been very good given the circumstances. Pochettino could switch one player for the other since they both play similar roles for their teams.

The English player has played in central midfield for 12 of his 19 league games this season, while the Italian has played in all 19 of them.

The all-around Chelsea player only does better at accurate passes and getting the ball back. However, Barella wouldn’t have too much to do defensively if he were to play in Pochettino’s XI because Moises Caicedo is already on the team and Romeo Lavia is back.

Fans might be upset at first if the club has to sell Gallagher, but it might be worth it in the long run if they can use the money to sign a player that football talent scout Jacek Kulig once called “one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world.”