The scene was set at the start of the season for yet another Cobham graduate to shine at Stamford Bridge.
The success of Reece James and Mason Mount in recent seasons essentially paved the way for another academy star to break into the first-team. That was Conor Gallagher, who enjoyed a fantastic spell at Crystal Palace last season.
The 22-year-old midfielder made 34 Premier League appearances under Patrick Vieira at Selhurst Park and managed to score eight goals and provide three assists in that time. It was the perfect loan for all three parties.
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Gallagher's form at Palace was so good that he received his first England call-up in November of last year and made his debut for the senior national side a few days later. It was a deserved reward for the tireless work of the Chelsea midfielder and how he established himself as one of the finest young midfield talents in the league.
"He can be a big asset for us. Conor trains at a really high level," former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel said earlier in the summer. "You can clearly see it was the right decision to let him go on loan. He made a huge step in his development at Palace and became an England player."
But after making his first five appearances in the Premier League for Chelsea, it hasn't quite gone to plan yet for Gallagher. He is yet to score a goal or register an assist for the Blues this season – and he also picked up a red card in Chelsea's win over Leicester City last month.
This is in no way writing Gallagher off. Far from it, in fact. But it isn't working at Chelsea currently. He needs to be used differently.
Above is an image of Gallagher's touches against West Ham United in Chelsea's last Premier League game – a 2-1 win over West Ham United almost a month ago (via WhoScored). There is one prominent position there and that's on the right-hand side of midfield.
There are a couple of instances there where he has ventured off to the left-hand side, but most of his touches came on the right. He wasn't able, for whatever reason, to get anywhere near the opposition box and threaten the Hammers – like he did so often for Crystal Palace last season.
In contrast, the below image shows a heat map of Gallagher in one of his most notable performances last season for Palace against West Ham. He found himself in the opposition box far more often and that's why he was able to score two goals on the day.
The bizarre element is that Gallagher was often used on the right-hand side of a midfield trio for the Eagles last season – and that's where he was used against West Ham on Saturday - but he wasn't allowed the free roaming role he had under Vieira last term.
The two images below are heat maps from Palace's games against Manchester City (goal and assist, left) and Everton (scored twice, right). Look how he was allowed to roam and make an impact across the pitch, not necessarily having to stick to one area.
It's something Gallagher perhaps won't be able to do at Chelsea. Tuchel seemed a lot stricter with his midfielders than Vieira is at Palace. Often, Gallagher was asked to play in a double pivot where there will be even more demand on him to stick in one area. It remains to be seen how new Chelsea head coach Graham Potter will use Gallagher but if the manager's spell at Brighton is anything to by, then the midfielder could be used in a free-roaming role.
A sense of perspective is also worth mentioning. This is Gallagher's dream to play for Chelsea and he's only made five appearances (in the Premier League), so there is plenty of time to improve. This seems more like an issue with the system than a problem with the player himself.
On Saturday, Chelsea take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. For Gallagher, it's an opportunity to face the club he did so well at last season and who were interested in signing him over the summer transfer window.
It may seem harsh, but such is modern-day football, that Gallagher is already playing for his Chelsea career. He was so in-demand over the summer that clubs will come in for him once again when the January transfer window opens – whether that's for a loan or permanent deal.
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