‘It’s not the best, he’s the loser’ – Patrick Vieira sends strong message to Chelsea after latest decision on player
Chelsea and Palace will face each other in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
However, Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher been in fine form since joining Crystal Palace on loan from Chelsea last July.
The 22-year-old has recorded eight goals and five assists in 31 appearances across all competitions for Palace.
Meanwhile, the Blues have rejected Crystal Palace request to use the loanee against his parent club.
Palace boss Patrick Vieira has revealed his disappointment at Chelsea’s decision, and has claimed that the only loser here is Conor Gallagher.
The Palace boss said in his latest press conference: The Palace manager said: “It’s not the best rule because the only one who will lose is Conor.”
“There’s a semi-final, it’s a really exciting game about how you will manage yourself and prepare yourself to play that game, then there’s playing that kind of game and the importance of it.
“It’s an experience the player is missing and I’m disappointed for him. He has played all the games so far and if there’s somebody who deserves to be in the semi-final, it’s him because of his performances, so I’m disappointed he won’t be able to play.
“The decision for Chelsea to send him on loan is to play these kind of games. We have as a group an opportunity to play an important game and that game would have given him more confidence and belief. We could lose but for him to have been on the field is what he needs to keep developing himself.
“Since he has been with us, he has been fantastic and for him not to have a chance to get involved in that game, it is something frustrating for his development. I feel for him because he wanted to play in that game — every player would want to play in that game.”