Chelsea loan coach Carlo Cudicini has revealed why they chose Crystal Palace as Conor Gallagher’s destination this campaign amid the interest from several other teams.
After spending last season at relegated West Brom, the Blues decided to send the England international on loan to Palace this term.
Gallagher has been in superb form since his arrival at the south London club, scoring six goals in 16 Premier League games, including a screamer from distance in their 3-1 win against Everton on December 12.
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And Cudicini, who keeps in contact with players Chelsea send out on loan, has hailed Gallagher’s displays so far this campaign, before explaining why the club chose Palace.
‘We are all extremely happy and proud of the path that Conor Gallagher is currently following, right from his first loan move to Charlton in League One to his step up to the Premier League. He’s a fantastic kid to work with; hard-working, humble, and of course extremely talented,’ he told Ladbrokes.
‘He’s having a fantastic season and it was a perfect move for him to go to Crystal Palace and work under a manager like Patrick Vieira.
‘Also, what was important this season was finding a club who would play him in the right position; this is exactly the perfect position to highlight his qualities.
‘He’s almost playing as a 10, although he’s part of a three in midfield, but his generosity and willingness to press every ball for 90 minutes has seen him sometimes drop a little deeper than we’d like, but that in itself is an exceptional quality; it’s a characteristic of is personality and we should not restrict him because he’s proving he can offer so much to his team.’
Despite calls for the club to recall the 21-year-old in January, Cudicini has confirmed that he will remain at the Eagles until the end of the campaign.
‘What’s important for Conor is to finish the season where he is; that’s why we’ve not put anything in place to recall him next month – it’s the same with Billy Gilmour,’ he added.
‘I’ve said this many times in the past, but a loan isn’t necessarily only successful if you’re playing every single minute.
‘Sometimes, especially at that age, you learn just as much when you’re not in the team. I think back to Conor last season at West Bromwich Albion where he had a difficult moment when the manager, Slaven Bilic was replaced by Sam Allardyce.
‘Conor missed a few games under Allardyce and I had to talk with him and remind him that he should take this as a positive moment, because he’s learning how to deal with these types of situations and managerial changes.
‘You hope to play every minute of every game, but there will be a time where you spend some time on the bench, so why not start to deal with that part of the game now?
‘With a player as talented as Conor, you’re always going to receive a lot of interest from a number of clubs, both from England and abroad. It was just a matter of understanding what the manager wants from him, and then it’s about picking the right club – and we feel Crystal Palace is exactly that.’
