Conor Gallagher bleeds blue, is adored by the Chelsea faithful and yet somehow, his Stamford Bridge future still hangs in the balance.
The head-scratching saga has become one of the Premier League's greatest mysteries and ultimately, it is indicative of Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly's regime. The uncertainty is even more difficult to understand after matches like Thursday night against Tottenham, where Gallagher set the tone and stirred up the atmosphere with his aggressive pressing and relentless worth ethic.
'Chelsea since birth' read the glitzy, newly-erected Gallagher banner before kick-off as the stand-in Blues skipper led his team-mates out onto the turf.
This was a clear message from the Chelsea faithful - sell Gallagher and risk facing the wrath of an already-disgruntled fanbase. In fact, there would be uproar.
The 24-year-old staple, who assisted Trevoh Chalobah's headed opener, will have just one year remaining on his contract come the end of the season and so far, Chelsea are yet to show any desire to extend his stay.
Yet after a whirlwind season where Gallagher has been one of only few positives for Mauricio Pochettino, the unexplainable delay is beginning to smell like a wicked ploy that would enable Chelsea to balance their financial records.
The Cobham academy graduate, who joined the Blues aged eight, would represent 100 per cent profit against Premier League PSR rules and Chelsea need to raise cash to continue spending at will.
Tottenham remain keen and it's easy to see why after Gallagher helped suffocate Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr in the middle of the park, while West Ham also saw a bid worth £37million plus add-ons rejected last summer. But what would it say about Chelsea's future if they were to offload their poster boy to a direct rival? It's an unquestionably distasteful message that would leave a damaging stain upon this great club's reputation.
Pochettino has provided very little assurance whenever he has been quizzed on Gallagher's future, despite repeatedly backing his box-to-box stalwart. He said coyly on Thursday night in the Stamford Bridge press room: "I am not involved, I know nothing, I cannot tell you."
Conor Gallagher has just over one year left to run on his Chelsea contract (Getty Images)
When quizzed on Gallagher's importance, he continued: "I think you can see from my starting XI, this season, he was always there. No? Yes, he's an important player, of course. But I am not involved in the decision, it's the club and Conor."
And when asked if he wanted the player to stay, he was not prepared to stick his neck on the line, adding: "I am not involved, it's a situation they need to fix between the club and the player."
Nobody can question Pochettino's loyalty to Gallagher as there is undeniably huge potential for the former Crystal Palace loanee to become a cornerstone of the Argentine's project. In truth, he should not be the one fronting up questions on Gallagher's ongoing contract saga as the club's owners are the key figures seemingly flirting with a sale.
Chelsea's fresh-faced squad remains starved of leaders and with Thiago Silva heading for the exit door this summer, Gallagher has never been more crucial.
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