Chelsea have reportedly turned down Crystal Palace’s request to allow Conor Gallagher to play against his parent club in the FA Cup semi-final.
The 22-year-old has thrived since joining the Eagles on loan and has been influential in Patrick Vieira’s side reaching the final four of the prestigious cup competition at Wembley Stadium.
Gallagher has even caught the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate this campaign with his impressive form and could even potentially be on the plane to Qatar in November for the 2022 World Cup.
Chelsea have turned down Crystal Palace’s request to allow Conor Gallagher to play in FA Cup
The 22-year-old has been influential in helping the Eagles reach the final four of the FA Cup
Palace have asked Chelsea to give Gallagher special dispensation and permit him the opportunity to take part in what would have been the biggest game of his club career to date at Wembley.
The terms of his loan deal prevent Gallagher from playing against his parent club, but those conditions could have been altered.
Palace’s request, however, has fallen on deaf ears and the player will be forced to sit the game out, according to Goal.
It will be a massive blow to Palace, who will have hoped to persuade the Blues to allow key midfielder to feature next week, especially after boss Vieira hailed Gallagher for his performance in their 3-0 win over Arsenal on Monday night.
It will be a massive blow to Palace, as Gallagher has score eight times during his loan spell
Palace boss Vieira (pictured) hailed Gallagher’s performance in their 3-0 win over Arsenal
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‘The energy that he brings to the team – it allows other players to follow him behind,’ the Frenchman said.
‘The majority of the time he is the one who starts the pressing and puts on the pressure.
‘That really forces the players behind to follow and to reduce the distances between the lines. He is a massive player.’
Palace have won four of their last five matches to climb up to ninth in the Premier League table as they continue to transform and improve in the first season under Vieira.
Gallagher’s impressive form has earned him England call-ups, the last two international breaks
Gallagher has been key in that transformation as the loanee has played 31 times for the Eagles where he has notched eight goals and picked up a further five assists.
His impressive form earned the midfielder a call-up during the last two international breaks.
Much like any English footballer, Gallagher is hoping he can represent his country at the World Cup.
‘Of course it would be amazing but that’s still a good few months away,’ he said. ‘I just need to focus on my club football and take every game as it comes.
‘Hopefully if I do well enough and I can impress the manager enough then I could have a shot.’