NUFC miss out on 'leading loan target' as he signs for West Brom after Crystal Palace U-turn

West Brom have confirmed the signing of Conor Gallagher - the highly-rated Chelsea talent who had been regularly linked with a loan move to Tyneside this summer.

The England U-21 star burst onto the scene last season in impressive loan spells at Charlton and Swansea - bagging 6 goals and 11 assists across 2019/10 - and is now set to taste Premier League football for the first time under Slavan Bilic at the Hawthorns.

A few days after the Northern Echo described him as Bruce's 'leading loan target' last month, he suddenly arrived at Crystal Palace for a medical last month, but the Eagles U-turned at the 11th hour and signed Michy Batshuayi instead - with rules stating that you can’t have two loanees from the same club.

With him then back to square one, many believed we'd step in and make a move for the 20-year-old.

However, with our already stacked midfield, we may have struggled to give Gallagher or Chelsea the assurances over game time, making a move to newly promoted West Brom perhaps more suitable in his search for consistent Premier League minutes.

Gallagher might prove to be the one that got away in a largely successful summer for Steve Bruce. He would’ve brought cover in the number ten role and his potential is without limits, with many at Chelsea backing him to be a big player for Frank Lampard in the future after he agreed a new five-year deal at Stamford Bridge before leaving on loan.

West Brom might just have a very good player on their hands!

Follow us on Twitter (@NUFCBlogcouk) and on Facebook HERE