Thomas Tuchel has told Conor Gallagher and Callum Hudson-Odoi to keep fighting for their futures at Chelsea amid transfer speculation linking the pair with moves away this summer.
With under three weeks to go until the summer transfer window closes, many futures are still to be resolved and clubs are beginning to show interest in Chelsea’s players.
As a result of the World Cup being played mid-season in Qatar in November, players will be wanting to feature as much as possible to give themselves the best chance of being called up for their respective countries.
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Gallagher, 22, came back from a stellar loan spell at Crystal Palace after having a conversation with Tuchel over his role at Chelsea. He was given assurances by the Chelsea head coach and is competing for a space in the midfield which sees the likes of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic (currently injured) all vying for starting roles.
The England international came on against Everton in the 1-0 win late on in the second half, and has received praise and backing from Tuchel to become a ‘very important’ player for Chelsea.
Tuchel admitted: "Conor fights in central midfield. To be honest, it is a very tough fight for him because, at the moment, it seems we only have two places in central midfield. Given the amount of players we have for central midfield, it isn't ideal, I agree. But we have to do what's best for the squad, not just for each individual player, so these thoughts are not 100 per cent about the formation and use everyone ideally are not 100% finished yet. But at the moment, he is absolutely fine.
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“I am a huge fan of Conor. He is a fantastic guy, and this is what we already knew, in the first weeks of training, he has shown how much of a step he has made through having so much playing time through his personality on the pitch.
"It is a very, very normal situation and development at the moment that after some fantastic training sessions, in the beginning, there is a little dip in his form and freshness which he suffers.
“On top of that, there's a huge competition with N'Golo, Jorgi and Kova, who are used to playing with each other. This is also life in a big club like Chelsea, so everything is in its right place. We are happy with him. He keeps on fighting, and this is what he does.
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“I think he has everything to become very important in the next years at Chelsea."
Another player who is hoping for game time is Callum Hudson-Odoi. He was left out of the matchday squad against Everton last weekend and is attracting interest from Borussia Dortmund, Southampton and Newcastle United.
It’s believed he is ready to leave the club for regular minutes, but Tuchel has told him to continue to fight.
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The 48-year-old added: “Callum is the same. He had a long-term injury and long-term problems to overcome. That's where he suffered from. I think he still has a way to go to live up to his potential. His potential is huge. His potential is huge.
“I think having Raheem in can give him an extra boost to step up and see what's needed in these kinds of positions to reach the levels he can honestly reach. But at the moment, he is our player, and he needs to fight, fight, fight. I have nothing more to say."
Gallagher has attracted interest from Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, where he spent last season, and despite Tuchel’s stance, he knows there are multiple factors in deciding whether a player is for sale or not.
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He added: "In general, nobody is for sale. Nobody is for sale, and everybody is for sale. It depends on what the player wants, how bad the player wants it, what we think about who is ready to pay a certain amount of money and then maybe everybody is for sale.”
Topics: Thomas Tuchel, Conor Gallagher, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea, Premier League, Football
Matthew Debono