Billy Gilmour is thriving at Brighton under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi (Picture: Getty)
Billy Gilmour has revealed the brutal way in which his Chelsea career was effectively ended by Thomas Tuchel.
The Scotland international made an eye-catching breakthrough during Frank Lampard’s first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge and initially featured regularly under his successor.
After starring at Euro 2020 for his country, Gilmour was surprisingly loaned out to Norwich where he struggled to make an impact at a side that suffered the ignominy of being relegated back to the Championship having won just five matches.
Gilmour returned to Chelsea ahead of the following campaign but was taken aback when he was cut from the first team squad by Tuchel during a pre-season tour of America and asked to train with the reserves.
It was a that point that the elegant midfielder acknowledged his hopes of breaking back into the Blues’ starting XI were over. The 22-year-old subsequently joined Brighton in a £7.5million transfer and, after a slow start, has begun to thrive under the tutelage of Roberto De Zerbi.
‘When I came back from my loan from Norwich, I came back and had pre-season and I just wasn’t in the plans,’ Gilmour told talkSPORT, when asked if he could recall the moment he knew his days at Chelsea were numbered.
Billy Gilmour struggled to win the faith of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
‘I ended up leaving pre-season with the first-team to go with the reserves. So we were in America for pre-season and then me and two other boys got told there’s not going to be really a chance here, we’re not going to have another opportunity, we’re going to send you with the reserves.
‘For me, I was like, right, OK, straight away I knew I wasn’t in the plans, and at that point I was thinking, well, I want to be at a club that really appreciates me and I want to be part of the team. I want to play first-team football. I’ve had a taste for it. I’ve played for my country, so I want to try and push on now.
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‘For me, it was the right time to leave. I spoke with the manager at the time, Thomas Tuchel, and he thought the same.
‘In pre-season, it kind of kept getting more and more that I was going to leave. I wasn’t seeing much chance in the first-team, so I took the decision and said, ‘OK, I want to push on now and do what’s best for me’, and that was to be at a club that appreciates me.
‘I want to play football, I want to really settle down and try and find a house and home and be here and give my all.’
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