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Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has expressed his desire to stay and impress at Stamford Bridge next season. He said that manager Thomas Tuchel told him to prove himself in the pre-season over a phone call.
The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace, where he was mighty impressive. He registered eight goals and five assists in 39 matches across competitions. That also earned him a call-up to England's national team in November.
Gallagher is now back at Stamford Bridge and is preparing for pre-season with the club. Speaking about his aspirations ahead of the new season, he told BBC Sport:
"I feel like this is the season. I've been a Chelsea fan my whole life, my family have; it's been a dream to play (for Chelsea), but I want to try and impress, and play as much football as I can and affect the game when I'm on the pitch."
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The England international also divulged what Tuchel said to him over a phone call ahead of the pre-season:
"(Tuchel) said he wants me to be part of the squad and to prove myself in pre-season, so that's the plan. I'm happy with that and just willing to work as hard as I can to prove to him that I can play for Chelsea. It's what I wanted to hear; it was a nice phone call that we had, and it gave me a clear plan of pre-season and where I'm going to be. It was great to hear."
The Blues will begin their pre-season on Saturday, July 16, against Club America.
Chelsea complete Kalidou Koulibaly signing
Thomas Tuchel's team announced the signing of centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli on July 16. The Senegalese became their second acquisition this summer, after the arrival of winger Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.
Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left this summer to join Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively on free transfers. Koulibaly is a replacement for one of them.
As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Senegal captain has signed a four-year deal with the Blues for €40 million.Journalist Gianluca di Marzio has said that the Blues are also interested in signing Sevilla defender Jules Kounde and Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe.
