Conor Gallagher given new nickname by Atletico Madrid as motorbikes used at unveiling

Conor Gallagher has been nicknamed the ‘pitbull’ by new club Atletico Madrid. The England midfielder has signed a five-year deal with the La Liga side after finally sealing his move from Chelsea for a £33million fee.

Portugal forward Joao Felix has gone in the other direction for a fee in the region of £45m, but there is little doubt who was given the more spectacular unveiling.

Via their official social media channels, Atletico initially teased the signing of Gallagher, 24, with the message “Beware of the pitbull.”

The nickname seemed to go down well with club fans, but it wasn’t the only comparison made to their new signing. After being introduced to supporters at the Metropolitano Stadium, Atletico also played on his apparent likeness to Charles Hunnam, who stars as Jax Teller in the FX series Sons of Anarchy.

Their media team uploaded posts of Gallagher alongside a motorbike and a poster for the series. And during his introduction, a number of Harley Davidson motorcycles came out onto the pitch to help welcome the star.

Fans also learned the number handed to the player by Diego Simeone, with Gallagher jumping around to unveil No.4 on his back. He did however, admit on the microphone he had some way to go to cross the language barrier in Spain.

“Hi, I don’t speak much Spanish,” Gallagher said in Spanish while smiling and laughing. “But I’m very happy to be here. Go Atleti!”

He had previously gone on social media to officially bid farewell to Chelsea, having been on the club’s books since he was six years old. He went on to make 90 appearances, scoring 10 goals.

“To everyone at Chelsea, thank you for making my dreams come true,” he wrote on Instagram. “It’s been an absolute honour every time I put on the shirt.

“It was a dream come true to captain the team on many occasions. I loved every moment. These memories will last forever. I appreciate all the love and support from the fans.”

Gallagher had already travelled to Madrid last week, but was forced to fly back to England when talks over a move to stalled. He was then made to train alone at Chelsea under Enzo Maresca before being to return to Spain and finalise his move.