Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Tottenham Hotspur reignite interest in Antonio Rudiger; Conor Gallagher disappointed to miss out on FA Cup semifinals, and more - 19 April 2022
Chelsea will host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Wednesday. The Blues are buoyed by their win over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semifinals.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur have renewed their interest in Antonio Rudiger. Elsewhere, Conor Gallagher has expressed his disappointment at missing out on the FA Cup semifinals.
Back to it tomorrow! 🔵 https://t.co/2h363lzo9c
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on 19th April 2022:
Tottenham Hotspur reignite interest in Antonio Rudiger
Tottenham Hotspur have reignited their interest in Antonio Rudiger, according to Football Insider. The German defender is likely to leave Chelsea this summer when his current contract expires. There's already a beeline for his signature, and Spurs have now rejoined the party.
Tottenham were interested in the 29-year-old last summer and also attempted to secure his signature in January. They recently fell behind the likes of Barcelona in the race for the German star. However, Spurs manager Antonio Conte is determined to sign Rudiger and is pushing for his move.
The Italian worked with the 28-year-old during his time in charge of the Blues. Conte is eager to be reunited with his former player this summer. However, Rudiger’s extravagant wage demands could pose a problem for any potential deal.
Conor Gallagher disappointed to miss out on FA Cup semifinals
Conor Gallagher has expressed his disappointment at missing out on the FA Cup semifinals due to a clause in his loan deal. Crystal Palace had asked Chelsea to let the Englishman appear against his parent club, but their request was denied.
Speaking after the game, Gallagher remains hopeful of playing at the Wembley soon, adding:
"Obviously I wanted to be part of it. It is an amazing occasion for the club to be at Wembley in the semi-final. I was happy to be here and support the lads. Playing in games like this is what everyone wants to do, a semi-final of the FA Cup at Wembley is one of those games. Unfortunately I couldn’t do it today, but hopefully it comes (around) again. I just want to play games, especially a game like this, but it is what it is. The boys did well today, but it just wasn’t meant to be," said Gallagher.
Thomas Tuchel says that he apologised to Conor Gallagher for not allowing him to play in the FA Cup Semi-Final.
He also mentioned that they had a chat a couple weeks ago, ‘by coincidence’ when they bumped into each other at a restaurant. https://t.co/DRK2LGdOTB
The Englishman also remained coy when asked about his future.
"There’s a few games left, and that’s the most important thing right now. I am not thinking about Chelsea yet; I am just thinking about Palace and the end of the season," said Gallagher.
Contracted with the Blues till 2025, the Englishman is slated to return to his parent club at the end of the season.
Garth Crooks heaps praise on Chelsea's Timo Werner
BBC Pundit Gareth Crooks has heaped praise on Timo Werner after his recent performances. The German striker has worked his way back into the good books of manager Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.
In his column for The BBC, Crooks labelled Werner as 'the star of the show' against Crystal Palace. He said:
"If ever you want to see how a team recovers from a midweek defeat in Europe, compose themselves and go on to win an FA Cup semi-final, then this was it. Granted, it does help when you have a galaxy of stars to chose from on the bench, but nevertheless this was an impressive display by Chelsea."
Crooks continued:
"The star of the show against Palace was Werner, and without doubt, the most unselfish striker and willing runner I have seen in a long time. Playing alongside the German must be a pleasure when he is in this form. I thought when Werner first arrived at Chelsea, he suffered from stage fright. Well if he did, he certainly doesn't anymore."
Werner has scored ten times across competitions this season.