Conor Gallagher has sent Graham Potter a message following Chelsea's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace. The 22-year-old midfielder, who has struggled for game time with the Blues this season, was brought on for Kai Havertz with a quarter-of-an-hour to spare and he took the opportunity by the scruff of the neck, netting the match-winning goal against his former side.
In the opening games of the season, he had struggled to prove himself worthy of a place in the Chelsea side following a string of unconvincing cameo and a red card tainting his record. But, with a huge goal under his belt - and his first for the club - Gallagher is looking to build upon his display, persevere and work hard to nail down a place in Potter's side.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the Cobham graduate explained that he's willing to do what it takes to ensure success at Stamford Bridge, inadvertently calling for his boss to entrust him with greater game time. Gallagher said: "I want to work as hard as I can for him [manager Graham Potter] and be available wherever he needs me, whether starting or coming off the bench.
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"Obviously I want to start and I need to show him I'm good enough," he added. Gallagher, who sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire in 2025, also claimed that it 'was written in the stars' for him to find his first senior Chelsea goal versus Palace - where he made a name for himself in the top-flight.
"It's a very special moment to come on and get the winner and my first goal for Chelsea," he said. "It was written in the stars. Unfortunately, it came against Palace but I'm just buzzing to get my first goal.
"Everyone knows how much I loved it here [at Palace] and I thank the whole club and the fans - even today with the reception they gave me. Hopefully, I can build a bit of confidence with the goal and push on."
With the World Cup just around the corner, Gallagher will also be keen to impress England boss Gareth Southgate. Three Lions Under-21s head coach Lee Carsley believes that the midfielder could be of use in Qatar.
Speaking to Sky Sports following the England Under-21s' win over Germany, the 48-year-old insisted that it is not too late for the Chelsea star to earn a place in Southgate's squad. He said: "Very enthusiastic every day, Conor.
"Approaches every game and every training session with 100% focus and commitment. It was obviously good having him back but you can see that he's really improved; the way he's receiving the ball, receives it really smoothly, gets into really good goal-scoring positions and obviously athletically he's outstanding.
"He's been brilliant for us. Yeah I'll speak to Gareth and Steve about all of the players. I think it's important that they're all given the opportunity at their clubs now going back and putting themselves in the window to get selected."
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