Tottenham hijacked the Conor Gallagher deal from Aston Villa.
Tottenham Hotspur needed to bring in a midfielder in the ongoing winter transfer window after losing Rodrigo Bentancur to a serious hamstring injury, which will keep the Uruguayan on the sidelines for at least three months. And the officials at N17 wasted no time in making an early statement by agreeing to a deal for Conor Gallagher.
While Aston Villa had made the first move to bring the former Chelsea midfielder back to England, the North Londoners swooped in and hijacked the deal, showing a bit of boldness in the market for once.
Kevin Hatchard breaks down Conor Gallagher's move to Tottenham
Tottenham signed Conor Gallagher from under Villa’s noses.
Given how the Lilywhites came in and secured his signature, it looks like the club was quite certain about Gallagher. But when we look at the proceedings, the 25-year-old was not the only name under serious consideration.
Tottenham looked at Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones before eventual Gallagher transfer
Well-connected Tottenham insider Paul O’Keefe insists that Tottenham were thinking about Liverpool academy graduate Curtis Jones when they looked into the market to go and get a new midfielder. The reputed journalist responded to a fan on X (formerly Twitter) who quizzed him about whether the North Londoners were targeting a “progressive” midfielder. O’Keefe said:
“Not really progressive, but they had Curtis Jones on their list. Presumably they scrub that now – 1 year left on his deal.”
Paul O’keefe gives Curtis Jones insight.
Curtis Jones has enjoyed a strong time in the middle of the park at Anfield Stadium under Arne Slot. But his current contract situation at L4 has become a bit of a talking point. And that led the Lilywhites to keep a close eye on those developments at Kirkby.
Jones has a contract in place with the Merseyside Reds until 2027. So at the time of writing, he is effectively entering the final 18 months of that deal at Anfield. And this is where Tottenham were thinking about exploring a window of opportunity before the club eventually switched to Gallagher.
Author Opinion
While both Jones and Gallagher are more of a #8 profile, on the pitch they are very different tactical profiles.
Jones is someone who has a more technical and control-based approach. He prefers playing in tight spaces and generally progresses the ball with intelligent passes and small carries (and releases).
While Gallagher, on the other hand, brings something Thomas Frank appears to value even more right now, he is that high-energy player who gives you a sense of intensity.
In the current context where the club are struggling to have their presence felt on the pitch, Gallagher does make a bit more sense.
Now with Gallagher almost through the doors at Hotspur Way, Frank will need to start getting results quickly as the chiefs at N17 start to put an interim plan in place if the Dane were to be sacked.