Thomas Tuchel drops major hint over Conor Gallagher's Chelsea future

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has dropped a heavy hint that Conor Gallagher will return to Stamford Bridge next season to fight for a starting spot by saying the club ‘love’ the midfielder.

The 21-year-old has been one of the signings of the season for Crystal Palace, scoring six goals and laying on three assists since his season-long loan move to Selhurst Park.

The Eagles are understandably keen to make Gallagher’s move to the club a permanent one and there has been talk that Chelsea could cash in given their competition for places in midfield.

However, Tuchel has appeared to rule out that prospect by saying he’s ‘convinced’ Gallagher’s move to Palace was the right choice for his long-term development and that the club ‘love’ him.

‘We love Conor. We are convinced about him,’ said Tuchel.

‘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.’

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