It was at a gastropub in Cobham that Thomas Tuchel ran into Conor Gallagher ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace. The midfielder hadn't been given permission by the Blues to play for his loan club against them at Wembley, understandably so given the stakes. So there was only one thing Tuchel could do.
"I apologised," the Chelsea head coach said. "I know how competitive he is and I know his character, I like him a lot and it was a pleasure to have him here in pre-season. The rules were clear when we made the loan. I can totally understand his disappointment, but these were the rules when we made the loan and we don’t want to suffer from our rules.”
Without Gallagher's energy and drive in midfield, Chelsea eased beyond Palace. A 2-0 win was recorded and Tuchel's side will take on Liverpool in the FA Cup final later this month. Gallagher will have to watch on once more as several of the teammates he played alongside at youth level in the Blues' academy compete for silverware.
