Thomas Tuchel revealed on Friday that he had personally apologized to Conor Gallagher after Chelsea blocked the England midfielder who played for Crystal Palace against the Blues in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final.
Palace made an official request to allow Chelsea indebted Gallagher to play against his parent club in the last four clash at Wembley.
Chelsea rejected Palace’s appeal over the terms of his Selhurst Park loan and while manager Tuchel said it was the right decision, he also admitted to understanding the 22-year-old’s disappointment.
“I got a chance to talk to Connor, and I could see his frustration too,” said the German.
“We met a few weeks ago. We met by chance at a restaurant after the international break, and we chatted, and the topic came up. And I apologized.
“Because I know how competitive he is and I know his character. I like him a lot and was glad to have him here pre-season.
“We play to win games. When we took the loan the rules were clear. I can completely understand Connor’s frustration, but when we took the loan, these were the rules.”
Gallagher has scored eight goals in all competitions in an impressive campaign with Patrick Vieira Palace and also made his England debut.
Defending European champions Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday despite a dramatic 3-2 win over Real Madrid.
The Blues lost 5-4 on aggregate to Real in the quarter-finals, which leaves the FA Cup the only chance for Chelsea to advance to Silverware this season after winning the Club World Cup in February.
Tuchel said his players could pick themselves up after Madrid’s midweek disappointment.
“I think we are all in the middle. To some extent it gives a big boost to confidence, but it is still disappointing to be out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage,” he added.
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