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Steve Sidwell has revealed Conor Gallagher is desperate to return to Chelsea after his loan spell with Crystal Palace. The former Blues player has claimed the youngster told Rio Ferdinand of his plans after a recent interview.
Chelsea were looking to keep Gallagher with the first-team squad this season, but the opportunity to play every week at Palace was something all parties wanted. He has since been doing well at the London side and has been contributing with goals and assists.
Steve Sidwell revealed an inside story while speaking on Joe and Coral's 'All To Play For'. According to him, Gallagher is looking to use this season to get into Tuchel's side next year and doesn't want to earn a move away from Stamford Bridge.
"The mindset on him is incredible," he said. "I remember Rio (Ferdinand) telling me he had done an interview with him, not long ago. He said to Rio, afterwards for TV, 'make sure when you speak about me, make sure I stated that I want to go back to Chelsea. I'm not here just in the shop window doing this to get a move. I'm doing this to show everyone what I can do when I get back to Chelsea.'"
Thomas Tuchel on Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher
Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, has confirmed he is keeping an eye on Conor Gallagher's season at Crystal Palace. However, the Chelsea manager has admitted he will not be calling the loanee back and wants him to continue doing well at Crystal Palace.
"He is standing out every single matchday so it's an easy one to follow and credit to him," he said. "We had long talks in pre-season and we thought he could stay and fight for his place here. But when the talks came up with Patrick Vieira, once he understood the role he could have in the Premier League at the club, he wanted to take the challenge. We also agreed to let him go because we thought this could be the right thing to do."
This season, Conor has played 11 games for Crystal Palace and has seven goal contributions – four goals and three assists. The only game he missed was the season opener at Chelsea, as he was illegible to play against his parent side.
