Thomas Tuchel reveals Conor Gallagher apology after Chelsea reject Crystal Palace’s FA Cup semi-final request

Thomas Tuchel has revealed he apologised personally to Conor Gallagher for Chelsea blocking the England midfielder playing for Crystal Palace against his parent club in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. 

"I had the chance to speak to Conor, and I could also see his frustration," Tuchel said. "We met some weeks ago, we met after the international break by coincidence, in a restaurant, and we had a chat, and the subject came up. And I apologised!

“Because I know how competitive he is and I know his character, I like him a lot and it was a pleasure to have him here in pre-season.

“We play to win the game, the rules were clear when we made the loan. I can totally understand the disappointment of Conor, but these were the rules when we made the loan and we don’t want to suffer from our rules.”