Tuchel finally decided Conor Gallagher’s Chelsea future ahead of next season
Ahead of next season, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has already decided the future of Conor Gallagher at Chelsea by hinting that he will return to Stamford Bridge next season.
Gallagher has been impressive with Palace, attracting interest from a number of clubs but Tuchel said the club ‘love’ the midfielder.
Tuchel ruled out the midfielder’s stay, saying he’s ‘convinced’ Gallagher’s move to Palace was the right choice for his long-term development and that the club ‘love’ him.
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.
‘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.’