Chelsea is expected to promote on-loan midfielder Conor Gallagher to their senior first-team at the end of the season and that could put the brakes on the Blues’ pursuit of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.
That’s according to a recent report from the Evening Standard, who claims Gallagher, 22, who is on loan at Crystal Palace, is highly rated by manager Thomas Tuchel and could be set to become a first-team player next season.
There is no doubting that Gallagher hasn’t had his best-ever season while on loan with the Eagles.
Currently working under the guidance of former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, the young English playmaker is enjoying a hugely impressive patch of form.
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Since joining the club last summer, the 22-year-old has gone on play a key role for Vieira, including featuring in 24 matches, in all competitions and directly contributing to an impressive 12 goals, along the way.
However, with his time at Selhurst Park set to come to an end at the end of the current campaign, Gallagher is likely to rival the likes of the Ross Barkley, Kai Havertz and Ruben-Loftus Cheek for a place in Tuchel’s long-term plans.
Speaking to reporters recently about the 22-year-old, Tuchel (as quoted by the Mirror), 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.”
Should the young loanee continue to impress, Tuchel could suspend plans to sign West Ham United’s Rice, who has also been heavily linked with a switch to Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United (Sky Sports).
Although the prospect of Chelsea pulling out the running for Rice would offer the Red Devils a clear path to land the Hammers’ talisman, it would also provide David Moyes with a small glimmer of hope when it comes to retaining his captain.
Boring. How many Rice articles today /WOW YOURE INNOVATIVE. OR NOT. Give Moyes a small glimmer of hope of keeping Rice .REALLY .If Moyes says he not for sale which basically the more astute can see that hes what hes saying he aint going nowhere. Catch on. -if possible. Glimmer of hope oh my god.