Conor Gallagher is a 'machine'! Moises Caicedo explains why he loves playing with Chelsea team-mate and England star

Caicedo explained that all-action Gallagher's defensive work, compared to Enzo Fernandez being a more attack-minded player, is a particularly helpful attribute in his team-mate.

Gallagher-Caicedo-Fernandez has become Mauricio Pochettino's go-to midfield at Chelsea, combining the two expensive signings with the homegrown star. Gallagher has made himself undroppable this season, starting all 32 of his Premier League appearances, compared to only 18 starts in 2022-23. He has even captained the team regularly in Reece James' injury absence.

Caicedo told Chelsea's official website: "Conor is like a machine, you know? I like to play alongside Conor and Enzo. With Conor, he has different characteristics. Enzo is more an offensive player and Conor is more defensive and he helps me a lot when we need to recover the ball. It’s amazing to play with both of them."

Gallagher's future at Chelsea remains uncertain. He will have only one year left on his contract at the end of this season and is entering the territory in which Mason Mount was surprisingly sold to Manchester United last summer. Speculation about a £50 million ($62.5m) switch to rivals Tottenham continues.

Chelsea, ninth in the Premier League as it stands, need to pick themselves up after a 5-0 loss to Arsenal recently ended a run of improved form. But that started by fighting back from 2-0 down against Aston Villa last weekend. European football is still just about on the table if they can catch seventh place Newcastle or sixth place Manchester United, five and six points ahead respectively, with a game in hand. The minimum expectation will be avoiding a bottom-half finish two years in a row.