Former Chelsea forward Joe Cole has spoken of the importance of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.

Conor Gallagher was ever-present in the Chelsea team all season, and played with so much passion and commitment.

However, there are reports that Chelsea are willing to sell the Englishman to balance the books amid FFP issues.

Joe Cole has kicked against this transfer, and has called Gallagher the most important player in the Chelsea dressing room.

“If I was sitting in front of the Chelsea owners, I would be telling them that Conor is arguably the most important player in the dressing room,” Cole, who spent seven years at Chelsea, told talkSPORT.

“Before you even talk about what he does on the pitch, he understands the club. During the difficult times you see what a player is worth and Conor was always there and available and driving the team on.

“I think it’s vital for the club to keep him. I’ll admit I don’t understand the financial side of it but purely from a football point of view, he’s in the top-three most important players in the dressing room.”