'I captained Chelsea and had awkward meeting with Thomas Tuchel in a pub'

Chelsea starlet Conor Gallagher has revealed he had an awkward encounter with then-Blues boss Thomas Tuchel in a pub while he was still on loan at Crystal Palace in 2021-22. Gallagher’s impressive performances for the Eagles had helped Patrick Vieira’s side to the FA Cup semi-final - but they were due to play Chelsea at Wembley. 

The dynamic midfielder was therefore ineligible to play for Palace in the game, which Chelsea went on to win 2-0. Palace needed Chelsea’s permission to let Gallagher feature against his parent club. 

However, a cheeky request from Gallagher’s dad in a chance meeting with Tuchel was turned down by the German. Gallagher says his family were out for lunch when the Chelsea coaching staff came into the same pub. 

Gallagher told Sky Sports about being ineligible for the FA Cup clash: “It was really hard. Obviously to be on the journey with Palace, to get to the semi-final was great. To get to the semi-final, you want to play in that as well. It was annoying that it came against Chelsea.”

Pressed on the awkward meeting with Tuchel, Gallagher added: “I was out for lunch with my parents and my girlfriend. He [Tuchel] turned up with a couple of the staff. 

“It wasn’t even me [who spoke to Tuchel], it was my dad! He goes, ‘any chance of him being able to play in the semi-final?’ and Tuchel just went, ‘no chance’. He just laughed it off.” 

Gallagher returned to Chelsea that summer and convinced Tuchel to give him a chance in the first-team. But his opportunities were limited after a red card in a Premier League game against Leicester at Stamford Bridge, with Tuchel critical of the academy graduate. 

A year on and with Tuchel long since sacked by the new Chelsea hierarchy, Gallagher has taken on leadership responsibilities with the Blues. Mauricio Pochettino has appointed the 23-year-old as one of his vice-captains, with Gallagher leading out his boyhood club on four occasions.