Thomas Tuchel To Give Armando Broja And Conor Gallagher Summer Shot To Earn Chelsea Squad Spot

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has said that he plans to give Armando Broja and Conor Gallagher the chance to impress him this summer.

Striker Broja and midfielder Gallagher have both had encouraging seasons while on loan from Stamford Bridge - at Southampton and Crystal Palace respectively.

Broja, 20, has scored nine goals for the Saints, while Gallagher, 22, has netted eight times and provided three assists in 32 Premier League starts at Palace.

Both players have at least three more years left on their Chelsea contracts and another season out on loan remains a possibility.

But Tuchel wants to see Broja and Gallagher up close during pre-season before making a decision on their next steps.

"They will come back for sure," said Tuchel, as quoted by journalist Nizaar Kinsella.

"I want to have them in pre-season and we will decide in pre-season what goes on. It is heavily up to them and how they do."

Chelsea are heading to the United States this summer as part of their pre-season schedule.

So far only one friendly has been confirmed. It is against Arsenal in Orlando's Camping World Stadium on July 23.

Gallagher first joined Chelsea way back in 2008. He has been loaned out four times and has not yet played a single minute for his parent club.

Broja joined the Blues a year after Gallagher. The Albania international has made one senior appearance for Chelsea, having come on as a substitute in a 4-0 win over Everton in March 2020.