Chelsea can’t cut short Conor Gallagher’s loan spell due to clause in contract: Reports

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was confident he would not require the services of Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour at the start of the season. Accompanied by a cesspool of renowned midfielders, Tuchel thought it would be wrong to stagnate the development of young blood in London.

At the time, it seemed like a logical decision. It was evident that their game time would surely be limited, and their development would be affected. Given the circumstances that present themselves now, Tuchel would very much like to retrace his steps and undo the decision. However, Chelsea's loan spell with Conor Gallagher will not allow them to recall the player until the end of the season.

In his fourth loan spell away from his parent club, Conor Gallagher has shone the brightest at fellow London side Crystal Palace. The 21-year-old midfielder has been one of the standout players in the Premier League this season.

He is out on loan at Selhurst Park until the end of the season despite Chelsea fans' hopes of recalling him to meet the demands of their setbacks from injuries. As reported by The Athletic, due to the delicate nature of the agreed terms, Chelsea won't be able to recall their starlets in the middle of the ongoing season.

What does Chelsea's loan agreement say?

Chelsea have agreed to loan out both their youngsters on the pretext of an agreement that contains a sub-clause indicating a break clause. However, under the present circumstances, it does not hold true.

In simple terms, to exercise the break clause, Chelsea's loaned players would have had to have played in fewer than 50% of matches for their respective sides.

Both Gallagher and Gilmour have participated in more than the set boundary limit. The former has been integral for Palace this season. He has featured in every league match for the Eagles. However, the latter has not played every league game for Norwich City. But under new boss Dean Smith, he has featured in three consecutive games.

The Eagles fans love the English international as Gallagher has scored six goals and assisted three more in his 15 appearances for Crystal Palace. It's a pity that Chelsea cannot attain or profit from the services of their players amidst their injury crisis.

Tuchel now has to manage the squad with whatever resources he has at Stamford Bridge. N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic are still not match fit while Jorginho has played through severe pain in the last match against Leeds United.