Mauricio Pochettino says he 'cannot guarantee' Conor Gallagher will still be a Chelsea player at the end of the window after shock links with Tottenham – and insists 'only the player' can ensure he stays at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he could not guarantee his captain Conor Gallagher would still be at the club at the end of the window.

Gallagher has become a key player for the Blues under the Argentine this season. He started 19 times and provided four assists, but the Chelsea youth player has emerged as one of the few players who could leave Stamford Bridge this month.

Mail Sport's Sami Mokbel reported this week that Tottenham were a shock team that Gallagher could join, saying the deal 'has legs' after Spurs were linked with the player last summer.

Mokbel confirmed on It's All Kicking Off that Chelsea would see his transfer as 'pure profit' if he came out of the academy, allowing them to spend more on revenue to avoid Financial Fair Play rules.

And as speculation continues to grow that Gallagher could be one of the Blues stars sacrificed this month, Pochettino was forced to sidestep questions about his future ahead of their FA Cup third round tie against Preston.

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“We have to talk about a lot of things, but it is clear that Conor still has a year and a half left on his contract with us. Nothing to announce, nothing to say. The club is happy with him, he is happy here.'

But when pressed further on whether he could say for certain whether Gallagher would stay for this transfer window, Pochettino was more cryptic. He insisted that he could not even guarantee that he himself would stay at the club.

“Look, I can't guarantee I'll be here tomorrow! In football different things can happen. (There are) decisions between the club and the player. Only the player can guarantee the club. The player more than the club, as the player has one and a half years more.

'(Gallagher) can say, 'I'll be here because my contract allows me to be here.' It's about making the right decision for the club, the player and the team.”

Gallagher has been one of Chelsea's key players this season but continues to be linked with a shock move this month

As for potential income, Pochettino said he was happy with his squad but was working with the club's owners on potential deals.

“We are always in discussions every day and assessing the team,” he added. “For some of the players we own, like Andrey Santos, who is coming back from his loan spell, we have to make a decision.

'I think I'm happy with the team I have. We are focused on rebuilding the squad we have. We are assessing cases. If we see an opportunity (to sign players), maybe we can do that, but at the moment we haven't made a decision (yet).'

Pochettino promised to take the FA Cup match against Preston seriously and field a strong team

Before the match, Pochettino was asked about team news and what team fans could expect – amid speculation the head coach could field a handful of young players or fringe stars.

But Pochettino said he intended to show 'full respect' to the Championship team and would be strong for the game at Stamford Bridge.

“Not too many changes,” he said. '(We're) not going to change the team too much. Once or twice (I select) players who are not normally in the starting line-up, but we have to anticipate problems.

'We are treating this match as a Premier League match, not because it is the FA Cup. All respect to Preston, and you'll see tomorrow.'