Former Chelsea and Manchester City player Shaun-Wright Phillips has disagreed with Chelsea’s decision to not let Conor Gallagher play against the Blues. It comes as Crystal Palace are set to face off with Thomas Tuchel ’s men in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.
Gallagher, 22, has enjoyed a standout season on loan under Patrick Vieira this season. In 27 Premier League appearances, he has scored eight goals and assisted three, not even taking into account the work he does in pressing.
However, when his parent club face his loan side on Sunday, the midfielder will not be able to feature. Tuchel had admitted in his pre-match press conference that he met with Gallagher to discuss his frustration: “I had the chance to speak to Conor, and I understand his frustration.
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“We met some weeks ago, after the international break, we ran into each other by coincidence, and we had a chat, and I apologised 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."
It represents a massive blow to Vieira and the Eagles, given how impressive and important Gallagher has been to his side’s style of play this season. However, with a cup final up for grabs, the Blues need every advantage they can get to book their place in the last two.
That wasn’t a sentiment that former player Wright-Phillips agrees with though, saying that he believes that Gallagher should be able to play against his parent club. Speaking to football.london via LordPing, he said: “I don't really agree with that rule [of not facing your parent club], I never have.
“I always believe if you want to loan a player out you shouldn't stop him from being able to play against you. If you're scared of that player affecting or hurting you to the point where you could get knocked out, maybe you shouldn't have loaned him out in the first place and given him a chance to shine in your team, but you didn't. I've never agreed with that rule.”
Whether the England international has a future at the club next season remains to be seen, though in the short-term he has the rest of the season to finish off strongly with Crystal Palace. With that in mind, he’ll be hoping that he can make an impression to earn a first-team place next campaign.
