Having spent the 2019/2020 season on loan at Charlton and Swansea City where he made over 40 appearances in all competitions for the Championship clubs, Gallagher has been loaned out to Premier League newcomers West Bromwich Albion to gain further experience.
Minto has backed his compatriot to follow in the footsteps of fellow academy graduates Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount and make it to Frank Lampard's first team.
“With my Charlton hat on, I was disappointed that he left halfway through the season," Minto, who played for Chelsea between 1994 and 1997 told Goal.
“It would have been good for him, or no problem for him to experience a relegation fight in his first season. I think he would have kept Charlton up, he is that good.
"I spoke to Lee Bowyer about him and he said ‘he loves, a tackle, box-to-box and he can score a goal’. I said ‘he sounds like Bowyer’ and he laughed. I think Swansea suited him towards the end of the season in that they were winning games with that sort of pressure.
"I think he is a year off making it at Chelsea, at least. He needs to be at a low-end Premier League where he can play every week. He can follow Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount because it is a big jump from the Championship to Chelsea."
