Thomas Tuchel has suggested Marc Guehi needed his transfer to Crystal Palace last summer to build his development on the pitch.
The 21-year-old Blues academy graduate was sold to the Eagles last summer in a deal worth around £18million and he has since become a mainstay in the heart of Patrick Vieira’s defence at Selhurst Park. His form in red and blue was picked up on by England manager Gareth Southgate who handed the centre-back his first senior international cap in the 2-1 friendly win over Switzerland at Wembley in March.
Now, ahead of Guehi’s return to Wembley to face his old club in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday, Tuchel has suggested that his departure from Stamford Bridge last season to a club where he can play more regularly has aided his development no end.
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When asked in his pre-match press conference what he thought of Guehi’s season and the transfer that saw him leave Chelsea, Tuchel said: "It's a fantastic development and it's very hard to know if we kept him what would've happened. Maybe he needed a change, a different club, a bigger role, more minutes to develop his full potential. It just tells you over and over again that if you trust younger players, have a role for them, they can on a regular level match your expectations and even over-perform.
"It's a decision we took together and we are happy with these decisions. I am happy with these decisions and it was the right thing to do given the circumstances."
Tuchel also commented on a chance meeting he had with Palace loanee Conor Gallagher, who is unable to feature at Wembley after Chelsea rejected a request from the Eagles to allow the midfielder special dispensation to play. Patrick Vieira criticised the decision and the rules that do not allow loanees to face their parent clubs, arguing that Gallagher would have tried even harder in the match to impress the Blues ahead of his summer return.
"I had the chance to speak to Conor and I could see his frustration," Tuchel revealed. "We met some weeks ago, after the international break, we ran into each other by coincidence and we had a chat and I apologise because I know how competitive he is. It's the way it is. We play to win the game and the rules were clear when we made the loan. I can understand the disappointment of Conor."
