Conor Gallagher has reaffirmed that he is yet to really think about what comes next after completing his loan with Crystal Palace. He did not rule out whether his temporary move to the Eagles would be his final outing away from Chelsea.
The young Blues star enjoyed an outstanding move to Selhurst Park, which saw him record eight goals and five assists for the Eagles and earn his way into Gareth Southgate's England set-up. It was Gallagher's fourth loan move following spells with Charlton Athletic, Swansea City and West Brom. This all came after a period where he won the under-17 World Cup with England in 2017 before being named Chelsea's Academy Player of the Year in 2018/19 - a year in which he made the bench for the Europa League final under Maurizio Sarri.
football.london understands that in a recent meeting between Thomas Tuchel and Gallagher, the 22-year-old was assured that he would be an important player for the Blues next season. However, it seems the Cobham product remains coy on his situation for now.
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Speaking to BBC's Football Daily, Gallagher said: "I've not really had time (to think), to be honest. It's been a long season at Palace. I've only just finished really, then I've come here with England. That's all I'm thinking about for the next four matches here, and I want to do well. I've not really thought about it.
"I feel like if you look at my loans, I've done four loans now, and they've always progressed, and it's always been a new challenge. I always believe in myself, and I try to do my best on the pitch. I think confidence and belief is a part of that. I've got three older brothers who all played football. I feel like in their careers, they could've had more confidence and belief and could've played a bit higher. I've looked at that and thought I needed to be a bit different. It's very important that I've been confident, and that's helped me.
"(Have you done your loans now?) I don't know to be honest with you, the loans have been brilliant, and every team has been a brilliant experience. To me, all the new players, the staff and managers have helped me progress and develop as a player - I've loved it. But like I said, I'm not sure."
The midfielder spoke highly of his time with Palace boss Patrick Vieira, revealing the former Arsenal star was proactive in helping his development. Gallagher believes Vieira is the prime reason for his progression in the last 12 months.
The England international said: "He was brilliant, he's a very relaxed guy, very easy to talk to and you can have a laugh with him, which some people find surprising. He's very funny, and he's a good man-manager and helped me personally. I'm very thankful he brought me to Palace, and I'm thankful he's a great manager. He was one of the best midfielders in the history of the Premier League, so I knew I'd learn a thing or two from him. To be honest, I didn't really need to go up to him myself. He would always come up to me, he was really helpful, and I appreciated it. I definitely think he's the reason why I have done well this season and progressed as a player.
Gallagher is currently in the England squad that is set to face Hungary both home and away, in addition to Germany and Italy across four Nations League fixtures. However, every member of that squad will have their mind on being part of the group that travels to the World Cup in November. The pressure to perform and play in the build-up to that could provide a complicating factor in Gallagher's future.
Gallagher's introduction to the Three Lions camp in 2021/22 came earlier than the youngster expected but being part of the squad is still firmly part of his plans.
He said: "It was, but it didn't seem that realistic at the start. It was like if I said that to people, it was like 'well, good luck', that's the truth. It happened a lot earlier than what I thought, even after I started the season well and scored a few goals. It still happened earlier than I thought, but I was very thankful to be given the opportunity. I just want to keep performing and improving."
