Chelsea's prolific academy continues to churn out talent at an unbelievably fast rate with several stars beginning their careers in east London.

Of course, when freakish talents are prevalent in an individual at a young age, clubs will naturally show their interest, as seen when Bayern Munich snapped up Jamal Musiala from the Blues as a 16-year-old.

Now 20-years-old, the Germany international is one of the hottest prospects on the planet and after finishing second behind Jude Bellingham in the Golden Boy award, has an apparent value of £129m (€150m), according to Football Observatory.

Declan Rice is another talent whose value has exceeded £100m since departing Chelsea for West Ham as a 14-year-old and has gone on to become one of the best midfielders on the planet with Arsenal shelling out £105m for him this summer.

While it is a gut-wrenching feeling knowing that Musiala and Rice could have been plying their trade in the Blues midfield for the next decade, the blow of seeing them thrive elsewhere is cushioned by the current crop of academy stars thriving in the first-team, as Levi Colwill, Reece James and Conor Gallagher have all endeared themselves to the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Gallagher, in particular, has seen his value skyrocket as a result of his performances.

How much was Conor Gallagher worth at the start of his career?

In the early stages of his Chelsea career, Gallagher must have thought he was going to fall victim to the Blues' ruthless policy of loaning out precocious talents without giving them a single chance to shine in the first team.

Joining the club at the age of eight, the youngster's first taste of men's football came in a loan spell at Charlton Athletic in the Championship as one of the 41 players to be loaned out in the summer of 2019.

Soccer Football – Championship – Charlton Athletic v Leeds United – The Valley, London, Britain – September 28, 2019 Charlton’s Tom Lockyer, Jonny Williams and Conor Gallagher celebrate a goal scored by teammate Macauley Bonne Action Images/Alan Walter EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publi

At this point, the Englishman had an expected transfer value (xTV) of £3.8m (€4.5m), as per Football Transfers, but after notching up 17 direct goal contributions in 45 appearances across two loan spells at Charlton and Swansea during the 2019/20 season, Gallagher's value rose to £12.4m (€14.4m)

Making a sharp rise to stardom from an early age, subsequent loans at Premier League sides West Brom and Crystal Palace allowed him to showcase his all-action midfield displays in the top flight, as his spectacular performances in the latter of those spells earned him an array of plaudits.

Registering more direct goal involvements than any other Palace player across the 2021/22 season with 11, Gallagher was utilised by Patrick Vieira in a more advanced midfield role, and the Frenchman waxed lyrical about his outstanding performances.

He said: "He surprised me with his finishing, he surprised me with his energy, he surprised me with the way he gets into the box at the right time to score goals".

Exceeding expectations by becoming the Eagles talisman and a senior England international, by the time he returned to Chelsea, his value skyrocketed to £32m (€37.6m), as per Football Transfers' xTV model.

Now an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino's plans, Gallagher has been one of the Blues standout performers this term.

What is Conor Gallagher worth now?

Gallagher is the type of midfielder who can overpower the opposition with his abundance of energy and desire to cover ground, utilising his love of ball-winning to rescue possession for his side.

Operating next to the mesmeric playmaking abilities of Enzo Fernandez, Gallagher's indefatigable work rate and unbelievable stamina are two of the standout attributes that place him in the upper echelons among the league's most industrious midfielders.

Conor Gallagher for Chelsea

Eating up ground like it's going out of fashion and operating like a battery that never dies, the 23-year-old averages 3.1 tackles per game, 7.3 balls recovered, 1.9 interceptions and duel success of 60%, as per Sofascore.

While this aggressive nature to win possession back is crucial in the Blue's midfield machine, he's also astute in possession, registering a pass completion of 91% and a long pass success rate of 83%, indicating that he's capable of making line splitting passes.

Dubbed by former manager and Chelsea legend Frank Lampard as a "top talent" after he captained his side to victory over Fulham, the midfielder has showcased his amazing character since Pochettino was appointed manager, with the Argentine awarding him increased game time and responsibility.

After nearly departing the club this summer, the £50k-per-week England international's rise from academy graduate to first-team regular should be used as a tool of inspiration for any youngster aspiring to follow the hard work and dedication that has propelled Gallagher into a £50m-rated star.

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