After dismissing Crystal Palace's desire to play loanee Conor Gallagher against his parent club in the FA Cup semi-finals, Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has apologized to the midfielder.
Gallagher has had a breakout season on loan at Selhurst Park in the Premier League, and he had hoped to play his full-time employers Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Sunday.
Chelsea has turned down a formal request from the Eagles to play the 22-year-old, as they do not want their choice to loan him out to come back to haunt them.
Tuchel said in a press conference ahead of the cup match that he had apologized to Gallagher for not allowing him to participate following a fortuitous meeting at a restaurant.
Tuchel added, "I got the opportunity to speak with Conor, and I could understand his frustration."
"We met by chance during the national break a few weeks ago. We met in a restaurant and struck up a conversation. The topic came up... I apologized because I understand how competitive he is and how much I appreciate him; I am familiar with his temperament and it was a pleasure to have him here in pre-season."
"This is how it is," the German continued. We play to win, and the rules were laid out for us when we took out the loan.
"This is how it is," the German continued. We play to win, and the rules were laid out for us when we took out the loan.
The German was also questioned on Marc Guehi's improvement since Chelsea traded him to Palace last summer, as well as the decision to sell some young players.
"It's a decision we made together, and we're satisfied with it," he stated. "At this point, you can't go back and ponder."
"Given the circumstances, it was the correct thing to do when we made the decisions." Individual decisions, for example. Tino Livramento and I had a strategy and chose a loan. He felt his future fading away, and it was therefore preferable to consent to the sale.
"It's a tremendous development for Marc Guehi. It's impossible to say whether he would have been better, worse, or the same if we had kept him." Perhaps he required it (to leave).
Perhaps he required a change of scenery, a different club, a different role, and more minutes to reach his full potential. It just proves time and time again that if you trust younger players and give them a role, they can consistently meet and even exceed expectations.
"It's encouraging to see so many Chelsea players across the board." It is something of which we are fully aware. It's interesting to compete against them and watch them grow."
At 4.30 p.m. on Sunday, Chelsea and Palace will face off for a spot in the FA Cup final.
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