LONDON (AP) — Conor Gallagher returned to English soccer on Wednesday, signing with Tottenham from Atletico Madrid for a reported 40 million euros (about $46.5 million). world cup.
25 year old midfielder left Chelsea His move to Atletico in the summer of 2024 is primarily to help his boyhood club comply with the Premier League’s stricter financial rules.
He returns to the Premier League with one of Chelsea’s strongest rivals, Tottenham.
“I’m very happy and excited to be here and take the next step in my career at a great club,” said Gallagher. “I wanted to be a Spurs player and thankfully the club felt the same way. It was very easy, it happened quickly and I’m ready to step on the pitch.”
The Spurs have not disclosed the length of his contract, but it is reported that it will run until 2031.
If Gallagher performs well in the second half of the season, he could be forced into England’s World Cup plans. His last national team appearance was against Senegal in June. He was not included in England manager Thomas Tuchel’s squad for matches in September, October and November and will be hoping to impress the German ahead of the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Tottenham moved to sign Gallagher amid reports of interest from fellow Premier League team Aston Villa, but they have major injury problems in midfield. Rodrigo Bentancur He recently joined an already absentee list that includes James Madison, Dejan Kulusevski and Mohamed Kudus.
“Conor is a top midfielder and we have worked hard to bring him into the squad,” Spurs coach Thomas Frank said. “He is still young so there is a lot of room for improvement, but he also has a wealth of experience in the Premier League, La Liga and with the England national team.”
Gallagher came through the academy after joining Chelsea aged six. He was the team’s vice-captain when he moved to Atlético and will play for England at the 2024 European Championship.
Gallagher was 18 months into his five-year contract with Atletico.
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