Inside Conor Gallagher’s first five months at Atletico: Advice from Diego Simeone, translations from his ‘older brother’ and private jet dash for Freddy the dog – El Pitbull is loving life in Spain

Rewind to May last year and the final day of the Premier League season. Conor Gallagher was leading his boyhood club out at Stamford Bridge in what was his 50th Chelsea appearance of the season.

Come August, he was left to wait in a Madrid hotel for five days as Atletico Madrid looked to raise the £35million needed to sign him after Chelsea had effectively forced him out and the midfielder wasn’t allowed to train with the first team under Enzo Maresca.

Six months on, Gallagher, who turned 25 on Thursday, is thriving in Spain under Diego Simeone and his refined brand of Cholismo, with Atletico losing just one of their last 21 games across all competitions and fighting on all fronts.

On Saturday, they will make the trip across the Spanish capital to face arch-rivals Real Madrid, knowing a win will put them top of La Liga.

Gallagher finished last season top of Chelsea’s stats when it came to minutes played, tackling, intercepting, duels and running and was second to Cole Palmer in terms of chances created.

He started all but one league game, yet for the boy who signed for Chelsea aged six, grew up around the corner from Cobham and idolised Frank Lampard, the club hierarchy knew that getting rid of him with a year left on his contract would help them comply with PSR rules.

For Gallagher, it was emotionally tough after his best season yet and knowing he still had his peak years ahead. It wasn’t helped by the way Chelsea dealt with his exit either.

With his medical done in Madrid and pictures taken of him in an Atletico shirt, Gallagher was forced to fly home and train alone after Chelsea’s deal to sign Samu Omorodion in the other direction fell through.

Simeone, known as El Cholo in Madrid, picked up the phone telling him to be ready and stay fit, while reassuring Gallagher that the deal would be done as soon as possible.

If Maresca and Chelsea didn’t want Gallagher, Simeone and Atletico certainly did.

They saw the Englishman’s high intensity as a key component of their rebuild after finishing 19 points behind Real, who won the title last season.

They knew it would be hard to convince Gallagher to leave home but Kieran Trippier, his England teammate at the Euros, spoke glowingly of his experiences.

When Chelsea eventually went for Joao Felix instead, in what now looks increasingly like an accounting move, with Felix moving to AC Milan on loan this week, the deal was confirmed.

Gallagher entered the Metropolitano Stadium alongside a motorbike gang and spoke a couple of sentences in Spanish to the adulation of his new followers.

Last month, a video emerged of him and Simeone discussing how his Spanish was going with Gallagher joking it was ‘perfecto’ before Simeone admitted English was impossible for him.

Gallagher is taking regular Spanish lessons while his former Chelsea teammate Cesar Azpilicueta, 35, is like an ‘older brother’ translating for him when needed.

One clip did the rounds across social media with supporters noticing Azpilicueta putting his arm around Gallagher in his first training session. With other fluent English speaking players like Alexander Sorloth and Clement Lenglet in the squad, the language barrier hasn’t been much of an issue though Gallagher is aware of the importance of learning.

Though he was peltered by his teammates for failing to bring in any snacks or treats on his birthday, as is customary in Spain.

On the pitch, his unrelenting style has seen him nicknamed ‘El Pitbull’ in Spain for bringing ‘new lungs’ to the team. He takes that as a compliment.

‘He is the kind of player who suits us and El Cholo. That quality Conor has off the ball is what gives El Cholo life. Within his DNA is our ethos of not stopping and the characteristics of our football club,’ an Atletico source says.

When he left Chelsea, their farewell video on social media shows a young Gallagher asked to describe himself as a player. ‘Hard-working, good on the ball and good desire,’ he says.

All are attributes he’s showing in Spain but Simeone feels he can unlock a new level.

Gallagher rates himself highly and saw Atletico as an upgrade, with the ability to play under a world class manager that suited his qualities and the security of a five-year deal.

As Chelsea tried to offload him when contract talks stalled, the only other club that made a bid was Aston Villa but the prospect of Gallagher moving directly to a rival English club was unlikely.

If Mauricio Pochettino wasn’t sacked, Gallagher would likely have stayed but working under Simeone felt like a perfect fit. More so, at a time when he was told he would be a squad player by Chelsea under Maresca if he accepted their offer of a two-year deal.

In Gallagher, Atletico saw someone who would work selflessly off the ball while improving the team when he had it. The Chelsea hierarchy had doubts over his technical ability and whether it was good enough for Maresca’s style of play but Simeone rated him.

Alongside Robin Le Normand, Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, they were the quartet signed for a total of £165M to help transform Atletico’s fortunes.

The day Gallagher made his debut as a substitute, Simeone simply whispered the word ‘Intense’ to him in his ear when he was about to go on.

At Atletico’s Majadohonda training complex in the leafy suburbs of Madrid, Simeone told Mail Sport last week: ‘Conor is doing a great job. Even when he comes off the bench, he helps us to continue competing well, especially in recovering the ball. I think he has a very good arrival in the penalty box too. He has a good shot and from his goals, you can see the timing of those runs. He has shown his quality since the start but we also need that growth from him now.’

Gallagher has started 13 of Atletico’s 21 league games since signing, often operating on the left of midfield and with a more defensive remit though the manager has told him to get in the box when he can. He averages more tackles, recoveries and commits more fouls per 90 minutes than any of his teammates and has two goals and two assists so far.

Julio Maldonado, a prominent Spanish pundit said: ‘If Simeone could design a footballer for the centre of the field, he would design a player like Gallagher.’

Others class him as the most Simeone-esque player since ex Atletico captain Gabi.

‘I like him a lot,’ added Simeone. ‘Gallagher has something that you can’t buy – enthusiasm, passion, rhythm. Wherever you put him, he has work-rate, talent and aggression that will do us a lot of good.’

At the Metropolitano, they already have a chant for him while Atletico’s social media channels rarely miss the opportunity to praise their new fan favourite.

When he became the first Englishman to score for the club in 101 years, the local papers went for Oasis puns, saying Gallagher had provided the music.

By all accounts, he is enjoying life in Madrid too alongside his girlfriend Aine, with a lovely house on the outskirts of the city, a short drive from Atletico’s training ground.

A month after signing, their Chow Chow dog called Freddy finally joined them in Spain after they secured the relevant documentation and flew him over on a private jet.

To celebrate his arrival, Atletico gave a bespoke dog jersey for Freddy.

There’s no lack of confidence on Gallagher’s part either. A recent photoshoot for Sports World in collaboration with luxury Swiss watch brand Audemars Piguet caught eyebrows while Atletico’s content team have got him to sing Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ for a content series.

Behind that smiley exterior is a warrior on the pitch. A late challenge last Saturday could have seen him sent off and missing the derby but Gallagher survived and a fiery battle is expected when he comes up against his compatriot Jude Bellingham.

England boss Thomas Tuchel is set to be at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, ahead of naming his first squad next month.

For Gallagher, who never thought he would want to move away from England, the saying that ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ could not be more apt. The decision seems to be paying off.

Naturally, he misses London but enjoys the quality of life in Spain and loved the Christmas break as it gave him the chance to go home before going to Ireland to visit his girlfriend’s family.

On the afternoon Mail Sport met him, he spent a good chunk of time signing dozens of autographs including a Chelsea kit and taking pictures with fans outside the training ground.

Going back to May, a massive banner was unfurled by the Shed End with Gallagher’s face and the phrase ‘Chelsea since birth’. But he looks at home under Simeone and regardless of the gifts he received on Thursday, nothing would be more rewarding this week than a win at the Bernabeu. That would be an ideal belated birthday present indeed.