Conor Gallagher is set to join Tottenham from Atletico Madrid in the coming days, with an agreement between the two clubs reportedly close. The former Chelsea and dynamic England international has fallen out of favor in Spain and Spurs have made an offer of nearly £35m for the 25-year-old, with Atletico expected to accept.
Aston Villa also expressed strong interest in signing Gallagher in the January transfer window, but no deal was reached. And that’s what made Tottenham’s meteoric rise possible. They appear intent on bringing the player back to England after 18 months in La Liga. Gallagher made 50 regular appearances in his first season at Wanda Metropolitano under manager Diego Simeone, but struggled for some time in his second season.
The player, who Atletico signed for £38m in the summer of 2024, has only started four games in La Liga this term. He started last Thursday in the Supercopa de España semi-final against Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia, but is expected to move on.
According to The Athletic, Gallagher is keen to return to London and Atleti are expected to accept Spurs’ £34.7m bid. He will be hoping to regain his place in the England squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Gallagher has 22 caps for the Three Lions but has not featured for his country since playing 59 minutes in the defeat to Senegal in June last year. Thomas Tuchel’s side have since won six straight games without conceding a goal, but Gallagher has not featured in any of Germany’s last three squads.
Spurs are looking to strengthen their midfield with Rodrigo Bentancur out for more than three months due to injury. The Uruguay international suffered an injury in last week’s defeat to Bournemouth and required hamstring surgery.
The north London club lost Mohamed Kudus to a long-term injury earlier this month. The Ghanaian winger is not expected to return until after the March international break due to a thigh problem.
With Gallagher’s arrival imminent, the pressure is increasing on manager Thomas Frank. The former Brentford manager oversaw a disappointing start to the season. Spurs sit 14th in the Premier League after 21 games, with just seven wins.
They were eliminated in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, losing 2-1 at home to Aston Villa. Coach Frank’s team was also defeated in Round 4 of the Carabao Cup away to Newcastle. They have won three out of six games in the Champions League and are in 11th place in the table.
This means they will face a two-legged playoff to advance to the round of 16, and will need wins over both Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt to secure a top eight spot in Europe.
With that in mind, Spurs are hoping to make the most of the January period. Santos left-back Souza is also set to join in a £13m deal, with the possibility of signing a new left-winger and centre-back this month.
