I really think you are looking at this through rose tinted glasses. He showed the odd flash of brilliance last season. The lad has had a serious injury and has shown virtually nothing this season. I hope with a full preseason he can recapture and build on what he showed last season. But to say he is the best player at the club is complete bollox based on his current performances.

opinions.

“That’s a joke son, I say, that’s a joke.” “Nice boy, but he’s sharp as a throw pillow.” “He’s so dumb he thinks a Mexican border pays rent” “ “Son… I say, son, some people are so narrow minded they can look through a keyhole with both eyes.”__ Forhorn Leghorn

Lewis O'Brien of Huddersfield is a real terrier,covers a great deal of ground and brings high energy to his team.Not one to shy away from a tackle.
He is on the radar of a few PL teams.

I don't view Hughes as a "High energy" player.
He is the playmaker who gets the ball and finds a teammate but he lacks that burst of pace, is somewhat one-paced, and is not one who heads,tackles and runs all over the pitch.

Edited by Willo (20 Apr 2022 10.59am)

I actually think a long term replacement for Kouyate (who is 33 in December) is more important than finding a replacement for Gallagher.

I guess this will be a controversial opinion but a good mobile holding midfielder is more important to the way we play than Gallagher. That was clear against Chelsea when we played Kouyate in a back 3 and during the AFCON when we lost him for a whole month. Of the midfielders we have now none of them can replace Kouyate in this role with the same effectiveness. Luka is well past his best, McArthur and Hughes are more a box to box players, Schlupp is a jack of all trades and a master of none, and Riedewald doesn't appear to have the management team's trust.

Rather than throwing all our transfer budget at Gallagher I would prefer if we spent money on a right back (let's face it Ferguson is a bust), and two young midfielders - another tenacious box to box player to replace McArthur and and most importantly a holding midfielder to eventually replace Kouyate.

"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make some other b*stard die for theirs" - General Patton

They are both great players but are totally different. Really simplistically the difference is if I’m facing Eze as a defender I’m scared when he has the ball and is running at me , when I’m facing Gallagher I’m scared when I have the ball that the annoying little b’locks is going to pop up and nick it. Eze is probably better technical player, not saying Gallagher is not good techincally, but with so many team playing possession football Gallagher changes the game, his energy means defenders can’t settle and build and we missed that Sunday. It is way he was not as great last season he was doing his running and pressing in a deeper position reactive rather then pro-active. Gallagher is the viet cong of football.

One supporter of hacking argued that without it "you will do away with the courage and pluck of the game, and I will be bound to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week's practice -Blackheath secretary at first meeting of the F.A