In-demand midfielder reveals what swayed him to make Crystal Palace move
Crystal Palace midfielder Conor Gallagher has revealed that what Patrick Vieira told him about his style of play helped them beat Premier League rivals to his signature.
Gallagher made his first appearance for the South Londoners since joining on a season-long loan from Chelsea, making an immediate impact on their midfield to help Vieira secure the first point of his Selhurst Park tenure.
Following the 0-0 draw against Brentford, Gallagher said: “I have settled in really well. All the players and the staff have been very welcoming and made me feel at home straight away, so it has not been hard to do that at all.”
Speaking on what helped Palace sway the 21-year-old combative midfielder to come to Selhurst Park, Gallagher said: “I liked what the manager Patrick Vieira was saying. I feel like it suited me very nicely, and I felt like I could express myself the best here.
“He wants me to do what I do best, which is basically all I want to hear. He knows the type of player I am. He knows that I want to get up and down the pitch and just play with freedom. That definitely helped persuade me.
“He was a top player back in the day, and he is a top manager as well, so I am very excited to work with him this season.”
Gallagher almost scored the first competitive goal of the Patrick Vieira era on Saturday, crashing an effort off the bar in the seventh minute after some intelligent link-up play with Wilfried Zaha.
“I’ll always work my hardest for the team,” said Gallagher. “I feel like I have got a lot of energy to give, and I will always try to give 100 per cent, but I want to contribute to goals and assists as well this season.”
Gallagher came close to joining Palace last summer under Roy Hodgson, but the Eagles chose to pursue a loan deal for fellow Chelsea player Michy Batshuayi, which saw Gallagher join West Bromwich Albion for a season.
When asked how pleased he was to finally join Palace this season, Gallagher said: “I was buzzing. It didn’t quite work last season, so I was very excited to join. I am hoping to help the team this season and show everyone what I can do.
“I couldn’t play last week against Chelsea, so I was very eager to get going for the season and to help the team as much as I can. Hopefully I can build on that for the next performance.”
PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD
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