Conor Gallagher insists his Chelsea departure was not due to him lacking the technical qualities to play Enzo Maresca's preferred possession-based style of play.
Gallagher joined Chelsea at the age of six and progressed through the ranks before making 95 senior appearances for the Blues between 2019 and 2024.
He captained the side regularly under Mauricio Pochettino last season as skipper Reece James battled a series of injuries, only to find himself out of favour when Maresca replaced the Argentine.
Gallagher sealed a £34million move to Atletico Madrid in August, amid questions around his suitability for the patient style of play favoured by former Leicester boss Maresca.
Gallagher started 37 of Chelsea's 38 league games last season, more than any of his fellow Blues midfielders, completing 1,766 of his 1,930 attempted passes with an accuracy of 91.5%.
That latter figure was the best recorded by any Chelsea midfielder in league action, ahead of Moises Caicedo in second (90.8%).
However, when those stats are adjusted to per 90 minute values, Gallagher ranked third among Chelsea midfielders for passes completed (50.7 per 90) and successful passes in the opposition half (28.56), and fourth for passes completed in the final third (15.67).
He does not believe the narrative that he was unable to fit into Maresca's engine room is a fair one, however, saying: "I don't think that's true.
"Last season I had a good season with Chelsea and you could see that by Pochettino playing me every game and showing his trust in me.
"The fans appreciated what I did on the pitch. 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.
"Chelsea make their own decisions and they've brought in some top players on long contracts. That wasn't the situation with me but what happened is good for everyone."
Gallagher has helped his new club make a positive start to the new campaign, with Los Colchoneros sitting third in LaLiga – level with rivals Real Madrid – with eight points from four games.
Asked about his first interactions with new boss Diego Simeone, Gallagher said: "He was very welcoming and it was, 'ready to get to work?', basically.
"That's what he's like, that's his character; he just wants everyone to work as hard as possible, to prepare for each game and to win – and that's perfect for me."
Gallagher will hope to feature for England when they take on the Republic of Ireland in their Nations League opener on Saturday, in their first game under caretaker boss Lee Carsley.
Martinez 'ready to compete' for Ballon d'Or after glory with Inter and Argentina
Lautaro Martinez believes he is worthy of being in consideration for the Ballon d'Or after leading Inter and Argentina to silverware in recent months.
Martinez was, unlike his compatriot Lionel Messi, one of 30 players nominated for world football's most prestigious individual prize earlier this week.
He fired Inter to their 20th Scudetto last season, topping Serie A's scoring charts with 24 goals in 33 matches, eight more than his closest rival, Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic.
He then carried that form into the Copa America as Argentina won a record-breaking 16th continental crown, winning the Golden Boot with five goals – including the winner in the final versus Colombia – in just 221 minutes on the field.
Martinez finished 20th in the voting for the 2023 award but expects to be higher up the rankings this time around.
"Considering the season I had, I deserve to be where I am," Martinez said. "I worked hard and suffered so much in the previous years.
"This is the second year in a row that I will participate in this ceremony. I think that I am ready to compete for this recognition."
With Messi out injured, Martinez partnered Julian Alvarez in attack as Argentina thrashed Chile 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday, the Atletico Madrid man scoring with a stunning long-range strike.
Albiceleste boss Lionel Scaloni was impressed with how the forwards dovetailed in that match, saying: "The duo of Julian and Lautaro performed well. They complement each other well, they don't give up a single ball.
"Lautaro assisted, Julian also went very well, he scored. They worked for us and they are two strikers who can continue to play together, we will see.
"I don't think there is so much superiority to the rest. They leave everything out there, the key is not to give anything up in advance.
"They are always hungry. Football is very strange, at any moment it can put you in your place."
Kazakhstan 0-0 Norway: Haaland fires a blank in Nations League opener
Erling Haaland fluffed his lines as Norway were held to an underwhelming goalless draw by Kazakhstan in their Nations League opener.
Norway failed to secure promotion from League B in the last edition of the Nations League in 2022-23, and their attempt to escape Group B3 got off to a frustrating start in Almaty.
Haaland was the joint-leading goalscorer in the 2022-23 tournament (alongside Aleksandar Mitrovic) with six goals, but he was unable to find the target despite being presented with several good chances on Friday.
The Manchester City man sent a 24th-minute header spiralling over the crossbar, then dragged another effort wide from the edge of the six-yard box five minutes later.
Norway dominated possession as newly promoted Kazakhstan dug in to preserve their clean sheet after the break, and Haaland's best chance would come nine minutes after the restart.
However, the Premier League's leading scorer was unable to steer home from just a couple of yards out as Norway's winless run in competitive action stretched to three games.
Data Debrief: Contrasting fortunes for Premier League stars
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was at the centre of everything good about Norway's performance, creating four chances for team-mates and registering the most passes in the final third (41) of every player on the pitch.
However, Norway found their main man Haaland out of form up top, the City star failing to score from four shots totalling 0.9 expected goals (xG) – a figure that represented almost half the overall total created by both teams (Kazakhstan 0.21, Norway 1.63).
'I am done' - Bergwijn slams Koeman after Netherlands snub
Steven Bergwijn had strong words for Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman following the 61-year-old's criticism of his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.
Bergwijn, who has made 35 international appearances since his debut in 2018, was a notable admission for the Oranje's upcoming Nations League fixtures.
The 26-year-old started two games at Euro 2024 in the knockout phase of the competition but was substituted in both at the half-time interval.
He also enjoyed an impressive season at club level last campaign, creating more chances (50) and completing more dribbles (39) than anyone in the Ajax squad, scoring 12 goals in 24 appearances in the Eredivisie.
But ahead of the Netherlands' clashes with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany, Koeman took a dim view of Bergwijn swapping Ajax for the riches of Saudi Arabia.
"The book is basically closed to him. He knows what I think about this," Koeman said.
"When you are 26 [years old], your main ambition should be sporting, not financial. These are choices that players make."
Bergwijn, however, had some choice words for his international manager, saying: "I am done with someone who deliberately portrays me like that in the media.
"That's not how you treat your own players. The national coach knows very well that the competition in Saudi Arabia is at a great level.
"Or are you only allowed to take such a step when you are 32?".
But Koeman has since responded to Bergwijn's comments, choosing to stick to his guns.
"It's logical that Steven Bergwijn reacts to my words on his move to Saudi. But I stick to my words!," Koeman told NOS.
"Going to Saudi at 26, it's not a transfer based on the sporting aspect."
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