Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel hints that Conor Gallagher has a role in his plans next season as he says the club ‘loves’ and is ‘convinced’ by the midfielder who has impressed on-loan at Crystal Palace this season
- Conor Gallagher has had an impressive loan stint at Crystal Palace this season
- The midfielder has got six goals and three assists in 18 Premier League games
- Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel says he is ‘convinced’ by the player
- Gallagher was called up by England’s senior team for the first time in November
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has hinted that Conor Gallagher has a role in his future plans by saying the club are ‘convinced’ by the youngster.
The 21-year-old has had an impressive loan stint at Crystal Palace, scoring six goals and registering three assists in 16 Premier League appearances.
Patrick Vieira’s side are understandably keen to make Gallagher’s move to the club a permanent one, but Tuchel has appeared to rule out that possibility by stating Chelsea ‘love’ the midfielder.
Conor Gallagher has enjoyed a highly-successful loan spell at Crystal Palace this season
Ahead of Chelsea’s game with Aston Villa, Tuchel said: ‘We love Conor. We are convinced about him.
‘We took the decision for Conor because when we looked at the midfield – Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante – he was considered number four in the group.
‘Conor knew this all the way. An opportunity came up where he could clearly see more minutes and more responsibility.
‘Would he be the same Conor if he had stayed here? Obviously not, because the situation will then be different.
Thomas Tuchel says Chelsea are ‘convinced’ by and ‘love’ the 21-year-old central midfielder
‘Maybe, then, the same people would say, “How can they rely on Conor Gallagher?”, or “Why don’t they give him more minutes?”
‘If Mateo hadn’t been injured, it wouldn’t really matter. So, no, you cannot go back to these decisions that are made for the club and for the player. Everybody agreed on it.
‘And it’s obviously a good decision because he is doing so well and everybody is happy. That’s because he plays every single game, and knows how important he is to the team at Crystal Palace. This is a huge part of being at the best level you can be.’
Gallagher has scored six goals and registered three assists in 16 league games this season
Gallagher’s performances led to him receiving his first international cap for England in their 10-0 victory against San Marino in November.
Tuchel replaced Gallagher with Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez on loan – though the Spaniard has struggled to adapt to the Premier League.
The Blues also have Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley, though both player’s futures at Stamford Bridge are up in the air.