New Delhi, Sep 6 : Connor Gallagher was promoted to the Chelsea senior squad in 2022 and the academy midfielder had become a mainstay in the squad since Pochettino's arrival but was sold to Atletico Madrid after Enzo Maresca was appointed head coach.

He was pushed out of the Chelsea squad this season due the side having to make a few sales in order to keep the Premier League's PSR rules in check but reports indicated that another reason behind his exit was that he was not in Maresca's plans for the season, a rumor which has been put to bed by Gallagher.

"I think last season I had a good season with Chelsea as you could see by Mauricio Pochettino playing me every game and showing his trust in me. And the fans appreciated what I did on the pitch too.

"I'm very grateful for all of that and very thankful to the fans. And very thankful to Pochettino for giving me that platform to go and express myself and show the best version of myself at Chelsea," said Gallagher to English newspaper Daily Mail.

Gallagher's move was one full of complications. The midfielder had traveled to the capital of Spain to complete the transfer and had even completed his medicals, however, in a separate deal, Chelsea were going to sign Atletico striker Samu Omorodion. The deal fell through, which made it financially difficult for Atletico to complete the signing and Gallagher was recalled to London.

Chelsea went on to sign Joao Felix, which allowed Gallagher to make the switch to Spain.

"In football, things happen. With my situation, I've left Chelsea but I look back at all my memories and I'm really happy I was able to play for them for the couple of years I did. It was a dream come true. I'm very lucky. As everyone knows, there was a lot going on over the few weeks that it was all happening with Chelsea and Atletico trying to agree a deal. Other situations came into it. But I was always very calm about the situation and I'm really happy with the outcome," concluded the English midfielder.

Gallagher is now with his England teammates getting ready to take on Northern Ireland in the side's first UEFA Nations League match set to take place in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

/IANS