Conor Gallagher will not be allowed to play for Crystal Palace when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley next month.
The 22-year-old is currently on loan from Stamford Bridge with the Eagles where he has enjoyed a breakout season, contributing 13 goal involvements in 30 games for the club and earning his first cap for the senior England side in November. He won the Palace player of the month award for August and September and has now helped them reach the last four of the FA Cup with a commanding performance in the quarter-finals vs Everton.
Due to the laws in the Premier League regarding loan players, he has already missed both of Palace’s fixtures against Chelsea this season, with the Blues coming away as victors in both games. The first match on the opening day of the season saw the Blues win 3-0 at Stamford Bridge before a late Hakim Ziyech goal at Selhurst Park settled the reverse fixture in February.
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Those laws for the league are similar for the FA Cup, with the rules stating: “The Association will not give permission for players on loan or work experience to play against the lending Club.” That means Gallagher will once again be unavailable to face his parent club, making Palace’s route to the final even more of an uphill task.
Gallagher has been crucial to helping make Palace tick this season and his boundless energy has been key to the style of football Patrick Vieira is trying to implement in south London. Against Manchester City last week he ran 12.5km - more than any other player on the pitch and the most any Palace player has run in any game all season.
As such, many Chelsea fans have been getting excited that the midfielder will return to Cobham this summer and potentially force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s first XI. And with the FIFA World Cup taking place at the end of the year in Qatar, he’ll be desperate for game time to continue to show off his skills.
That is one thing he has always been guaranteed of under Vieira at Palace, and it’s something the Eagles boss has stressed is the most important thing for him at his age and for where he is in his career.
He said: “Conor, I believe when you are looking at the way he is playing, is really happy in our football club. He knows how important he is for the team and the football club. He is enjoying his game. For a player like that, what is important is to keep playing week after week because that will allow him to improve.
“I think we give him the support he needs for him to be on the field and to express his talent.”
