Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira has, on Friday, been drawn on Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher’s plans beyond the summer.

The subject of midfield talent Gallagher’s future has of course come back to the fore once more over the course of the week to date.

This comes after the 22-year-old provided the Palace faithful with yet another reminder of his remarkable talents, in bagging a goal and an assist en route to a 4-1 drubbing of Watford:

Gallagher’s latest haul means that the midfield all-rounder has now directly contributed to 11 goals in 22 Premier League appearances across the campaign to date.

And such production, in turn, has inevitably culminated in calls on the part of Palace’s fanbase for those in a position of power at the club to do their utmost to lure the Eagles’ starring loanee back to Selhurst Park for a 2nd successive loan stint next season.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of his side’s upcoming meeting with Burnley, Patrick Vieira was therefore unsurprisingly drawn on whether or not he has spoken to Gallagher regarding his plans beyond the summer.

After admitting that such a conversation is yet to take place, though, the Frenchman appeared to hint that he is hopeful of Gallagher staying put for a further 12 months:

“We honestly didn’t speak about it.

“We know we’ll have him for the year then we never know. I believe when you look at the way he plays he’s really happy here.

“He knows how important he is for the club and he’s enjoying his game. For a player like that, what is important is to keep playing week after week. We give him the support he needs to be on the field to show his talent.”

Tuchel a fan

Vieira’s hopes of a Gallagher return, however, whilst understandable, in truth, appear altogether unlikely to come to fruition.

This comes with more than one reliable source over the last couple of months having assured that the Chelsea talent has already done enough to convince Thomas Tuchel of his readiness to contribute back in west London next season:

 

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