‘Something magic’ – Conor Gallagher has special praise for former Crystal Palace teammate

Conor Gallagher says Michael Olise was the player he most enjoyed playing with during his loan spell at Crystal Palace.

Both signed last season for the Eagles under Patrick Vieira – Gallagher joining on a season-long loan from Chelsea and Olise signing a five-year deal in an £8million deal from Reading.

Former Charlton and Swansea man Gallagher made 39 appearances while on loan at Selhurst Park, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for his role in helping the Eagles reach an FA Cup semi-final and finishing 12th in the Premier League.

Olise and Gallagher played 28 times together in all competitions.

Gallagher returned to Chelsea over the summer and was named last week in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

In an interview with JD’s official Youtube channel, Gallagher, when asked which player he enjoyed playing with most for the South Londoners, said: “He [Olise] was in the academy with Chelsea when we were younger.

He was always two years below me, so I never really knew what he was like – I never knew what to expect when he came to Palace.

“But he was just so exciting, even to play with. You’d give the ball to his feet, and you would kind of expect him to go and do something magic.

“I feel like he’s got such a bright future – [he was] just a joy to play with.”

Olise, 20, has been named in France’s U21 squad for their upcoming game against Norway. The former Reading man scored his first goal of the season in the 2-1 away win at West Ham.