Everton have suffered a blow to their interest in Conor Gallagher as the Chelsea midfielder has told BBC Sport that Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he wants him to stay at the club.
Gallagher has returned to Stamford Bridge this summer after spending last season on loan to Crystal Palace. His performances with the Eagles shot the 22-year-old to Premier League and international acclaim, having excelled at Selhurst Park under Patrick Vieira’s tutelage.
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The Epsom-born dynamo thrived in south London with eight goals and three assists across 34 top-flight appearances. Gareth Southgate also handed Gallagher his England debut last November, and has continued to name the Blues product in each of his subsequent sides.
Tuchel tells Gallagher he’s staying at Chelsea against Everton interest
Tuchel has now told Gallagher that he is saying at Chelsea for the upcoming season, amid transfer interest from Everton. TalkSPORT have reported that Toffees boss and Blues icon Frank Lampard has hoped to use his connections at Stamford Bridge to secure his services.
Gallagher has faced an uncertain future back in west London since his Crystal Palace spell with no guarantees of minutes under Tuchel. But the German has now told the midfielder to show his worth during pre-season as he will be a part of the Blues’ squad through 2022/23.
“[Tuchel] said he wants me to be part of the squad and to prove myself in pre-season, so that’s the plan,” Gallagher said. “I’m happy with that and just willing to work as hard as I can to prove to him that I can play for Chelsea.
“It’s what I wanted to hear. It was a nice phone call that we had and it gave me a clear plan of pre-season and where I’m going to be. It was great to hear.”
Lampard suffers blow as Gallagher opens up on Tuchel talk
Gallagher opening up on his talks with Tuchel will act as a blow to Lampard and Everton’s interest in the Chelsea talent’s transfer. The Toffees have sought to strengthen in midfield this summer after allowing Fabian Delph to leave Goodison Park at the end of his contract.
Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Andre Gomes, Tom Davies and the perennially-injured Jean-Philippe Gbamin also suffered fitness problems last term. While January addition Dele Alli is yet to spark into life with just one start from 11 appearances, totalling 329 minutes, so far.
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