Newcastle United legend, Alan Shearer has suggested that the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez made ‘local lad’ Connor Gallagher to leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window.
Gallagher was one of Chelsea’s best players last season.
However, some fans were left shocked that the Blues sold him to Spanish LaLiga side Atletico Madrid.
But Shearer believes both Caicedo and Fernandez played a key role in Gallagher’s decision to leave the Premier League west London club because the duo are always ahead of him.
“The issue Gallagher had was when Chelsea started paying the vast amounts of money for people like Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez,” Shearer told Betfair.
“Then it was always going to be difficult for a local lad to stay and play because, essentially, those players have to play to justify the transfer fee.
“That leaves people like Gallagher with a decision to make because you are not going to play regularly, they are always going to be ahead of you.
“And they will always be on more money than you, so you have to say good luck to the guys that do choose to go abroad.”
Fernandez and Caicedo joined Chelsea in a big-money transfer in 2023.