Former Palace boss Alan Pardew: Conor Gallagher has a South London accent – we need to sign him up!

Former Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has praised Conor Gallagher for his match-winning display against Everton yesterday – and joked that his accent means he needs to make a permanent move to SE25.

The England international is on loan with the Eagles and has nine goal involvements.

Gallagher scored twice in the 3-1 win over the Toffees. He has scored six goals since arriving on a temporary deal from Chelsea.

Pardew, a pundit on Sky Sports, said: “He’s just full of energy and everything he did today was on the money.

“He’s stuck in the corner, he comes back wins the ball and you’re thinking ‘go on’ – and he catches it absolutely sweetly [to make it 3-1]. It’s a fantastic hit. That’s the way you want to end the game – sliding in the corner with the crowd spilling out your name.

“He might be a Chelsea player but he has got a South London accent. We’ve got to do a deal with this boy!”

Graeme Souness, also on punditry duty for the same channel, added: “He has great qualities and he plays with an honesty and a freedom.”