Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says the club have no intention to recall Conor Gallagher from his loan at Crystal Palace in January.
The lowdown
Gallagher has arguably been Palace's standout player since he made the temporary move across London during the summer transfer window.
In 10 appearances, he's scored a joint-team high four goals and provided two assists.
His average WhoScored rating of 7.5/10 is comfortably the highest in the Eagles' ranks, with Christian Benteke the next best at 6.96.
His form hasn't gone unnoticed at international level, with Gareth Southgate handing him a senior England debut in the 10-0 midweek rout of San Marino.
Pundits, like former Palace striker Ian Wright, have already begun to ponder his future at Stamford Bridge.
He says Chelsea simply 'can't ignore him' on the back of his 'unbelievable' displays, while Joe Cole insists the Blues won't make the 'silly' mistake of selling him.
The latest
Addressing the press ahead of Chelsea's trip to Leicester City, Tuchel explained that remaining at Palace until the end of the season was best for Gallagher's development.
And he also revealed that they'll sit down with Gallagher in the summer to discuss his 'goals'.
"I have not thought about bringing him back earlier, because it’s also important for him to be happy where he is, to stay in the moment and not change the next things," he said, as quoted by The Independent.
"It's important to be calm in his stage of the career. And I feel him happy there and I think everybody is happy and it's good he has this kind of impact at Palace and now it's about consistency.
"He had a game with the national team and we have to process all these things. Right now if you asked me today I don't think it's necessary to change everything for him again in the winter.
"And it's too early to talk about next season and way too early to talk about it in public, and before we talk about it with Conor himself, what he wants and what his goals are.
"That will happen in the summer, because we all agreed to the decision that he wanted to join Crystal Palace and Patrick Vieira’s team."
The verdict
If Gallagher keeps up this form, Palace will surely dream of keeping him beyond the end of the current season?
But will Chelsea agree to part with their £13.5million-rated asset? It seems increasingly unlikely, but the player himself is apparently having reservations over whether he will actually get a chance at Stamford Bridge.
With that in mind, the Eagles would surely be wise to at least test the Blues resolve with a bid. Either way, the fact Tuchel has no plans to recall the midfield maestro should be music to Vieira's ears as far as this campaign is concerned.
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