Tottenham 'most likely destination' for ex-Chelsea man wanted by Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest & Newcastle United
Tottenham Hotspur are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the Premier League campaign
Tottenham Hotspur have been named as the ‘most likely destination’ for ex-Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer, amid interest from several Premier League clubs.
Gallagher left Chelsea for Atletico Madrid last summer, ending an 18-year association with the Blues after joining the club’s youth ranks back in 2006. His move to the Spanish capital cost around £34m.
He enjoyed a successful first campaign at the Metropolitano Stadium, making 50 appearances for the Madrid club with four goals and six assists. However, his future has since come into question after the club signed Alex Baena. The midfielder completed a €50m move to join Atletico from La Liga rivals Villareal, and he has not been signed to sit on the bench.
Johnny Cardoso and Pablo Barrios are also said to be ahead of Gallagher in the pecking order in Diego Simeone’s midfield.
Tottenham Hotspur ‘most likely destination’ for Conor Gallagher
According to a report from Football Espana: “As things stand, Tottenham Hotspur are the most likely destination for Gallagher.”
Several Premier League sides have been credited with an interest, with Aston Villa boss Unai Emery said to be a big fan of the player with Nottingham Forest also linked. Newcastle United were said to have made an enquiry last month but have yet to follow up that interest with anything concrete.
Spurs are said to be fans of Gallagher’s physicality and technical ability. He also has plenty of Premier League experience from his time at Chelsea as well as from his previous loan spell at Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace.
Thomas Frank is tasked with seriously-improving Spurs’ Premier League fortunes after the club finished 17th last term. They have qualified for the Champions League after winning the Europa League and will need a squad capable of coping with the demands of European and domestic football. Adding a player like Gallagher would ensure their squad had another solid midfield option after they signed Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich last week.
Spurs play Bayern Munich in their final pre-season friendly on Thursday before kicking off their competitive campaign against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday, August 13.
Thomas Frank reflects on pre-season tour
Looking at the club’s preparations for the new season, Spurs boss Frank said: “I’m very pleased with two good competitive games. I think that gave us a lot of answers, showed us a lot of good bits, showed us also what we need to work on, some really good individual performances, that’s good. Overall, good, the only big minus is (injury to) Maddison.
“Newcastle, they were extremely competitive, a fantastic test for us. A lot of good things to take away from the game, but also a lot of things we like to like to do better and improve.
“I think we started really well, really aggressive, scored good goal through Brennan, very aggressive in our high pressure, won the ball four, five, six times high, and could have created even more out of that in the last third with a killer pass.
“Then we got a little bit too deep at times, but then also had a big chance to Mathys. Second half, I thought we were more on top again, especially towards the end of the game, the high pressure was again better after some of the stops. We scored a good goal through high pressure, conceded a goal where we were not as good with the high pressure. That’s what we need to learn from.
“There was so much to learn from this game, and I'm actually happy that Newcastle, at times, made it a little difficult for us with their high pressure, but also at times we showed we can win it high and go the other way. So, we take the positives out of it and we'll adjust some things as well.”