Chelsea chief Petr Cech has revealed his delight at the progress of midfielder Conor Gallagher during his loan spell with Crystal Palace this season. The 21-year-old has quickly become one of the biggest prospects in the Premier League thanks to his performances for Patrick Vieira's side this season.
Conor Gallagher spent his youth career with Chelsea before being promoted to the first team in 2019. He spent the next two seasons on loan at Charlton, Swansea, and West Bromwich Albion before returning to Stamford Bridge this summer. Chelsea opted to send the midfielder on loan to Crystal Palace to give him the opportunity to play regular football.
Gallagher has scored four goals in 10 Premier League appearances for Crystal Palace this season. He has also made his first international appearance for England against San Marino. Chelsea chief Petr Cech has been thrilled with the progress of Gallagher and has given an insight into his future with the Blues.
"For Conor to get the England call-up was absolutely amazing and to make his debut was obviously even more amazing. If he didn't go to Crystal Palace and perform but rather stayed here and maybe didn't play every game then that would never have happened," said Cech on Chelsea's official website.
"Conor will come back to us in a completely different situation than he was six months ago and that's the beauty of it. If everything works out perfectly, this is the idea behind it and obviously it's great to see that it's worked out perfectly for Conor so far."
Chelsea have been accused of not giving chances to youth academy players and youngsters in recent years. The Blues have, however, developed a number of academy products, who have become key players for the club in recent years.
Chelsea are building a foundation for the future by developing young players
Chelsea have never shied away from spending big-money on top quality players in recent years. The Blues spent £97.5 million to sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan this summer as they were in desperate need of a top-quality striker.
The Blues, however, possess a core group of youngsters around whom they are likely to build a squad for the future. The likes of Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah have put in a number of impressive performances for the club this season.
The performances of Chelsea loanees Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour have also been a major source of positivity for the club and its fans. Chelsea are therefore likely to support the promising young talent they currently possess rather than spend big money in the transfer market.