Will Conor Gallagher end up at Newcastle United with Eddie Howe or at Ruben Amorim's Manchester United in the January transfer window? | National World / Getty Imagesplaceholder image
Will Conor Gallagher end up at Newcastle United with Eddie Howe or at Ruben Amorim's Manchester United in the January transfer window? | National World / Getty Images | National World / Getty Images
A host of clubs including Manchester United, Tottenham, Newcastle and Aston Villa want Gallagher from Atletico Madrid
Those links back home intensified when he told Spanish outlet Diario AS “I’m not satisfied” with his reduced minutes in the capital and it’s almost easier to list the Premier League clubs he hasn’t been linked with than those who are reportedly interested in Gallagher, though he did add in the interview:
“I will continue to work very hard to, whenever I have the opportunity, help the team and hopefully more opportunities will come to be a starter. I’m very happy here. My goal is to win titles with Atleti and I want to have a bigger role in the team.”
That hasn’t stopped Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Everton, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United all supposedly taking an interest in the midfielder, who it’s easy to forget is still only 25.
Mundo Deportivo reported (via the Metro) in September that Atletico want €60 million (£52.8m) for their midfielder though that price may have dropped given his limited minutes and The Red Devils appear the front-runners to sign Gallagher with less than six weeks until the January transfer window opens.
But he should instead be looking to the north east of England with Eddie Howe’s Newcastle offering him the best opportunity to rebuild his career at the top level, with The Magpies on ‘red alert’ over Gallagher’s situation according to The Chronicle.
Gallagher is the perfect replacement for Joelinton in Eddie Howe’s midfield
One of the more surprising elements of the 2025/26 Premier League season has been the degree to which Newcastle’s vaunted midfield of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimares and Joelinton has regressed.
Joelinton has particularly struggled, with the 29-year-old yet to make a goal contribution in the Premier League and winning barely half as many top-flight tackles as in 2024/25.
His challenge success rate has dropped a massive 20% to little better than one in three, whereas last season he was winning more tackles than he lost and that tenacity combined with the lack of goal threat from the former striker has hamstrung Newcastle at both ends of the pitch.
The good news is that they have a ready-made upgrade in Gallagher. Meanwhile Lewis Miley is yet to fulfil his potential and become a regular first-team player - completely understandably given he made his debut so young and remains a teenager - and Joe Willock is simply not looking like anything more than a bit-part player at St. James’ Park. If Joelinton is the archetypal player Howe wants in his Newcastle midfield, Gallagher is simply the natural evolution of that.
In his final Premier League season at Chelsea compared to Joelinton’s 2024/25 top flight, the Englishman recorded more shot and goal-creating actions, key passes (that lead directly to a shot), progressive passes, balls into the final third and penalty area, tackles in all three areas of the pitch, blocks, interceptions and touches (all per 90 minutes per Opta via FBref).
And maybe most importantly, more goals, assists overall. And though Gallagher’s underlying numbers went down with more substitute appearances under Simeone, he remains an industrious player who could return to his best form in Newcastle. But if he’s that good, why wouldn’t he suit Manchester United?
Newcastle make more sense than Manchester United for Gallagher
A feature of Manchester United’s struggles since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement has been their inability to find good enough ball players in midfield to successfully execute a possession-based philosophy, and their greatest success has come with a more fast-paced style most notably under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and to a lesser extent Jose Mourinho.
From Nemanja Matic and Marouanne Fellaini to Scott McTominay and Fred via a litany of expensive mistakes, The Red Devils have too often targeted midfielders who don’t have the technical ability to progress the side up the field in an orderly fashion and Gallagher would be the latest in that line.
Despite his undoubted talent and phenomenal effort levels, Gallagher proved as much in Euro 2024 when Sir Gareth Southgate turned to him in the group stage to try and overcome England’s problems playing through the opposition press before he was dropped almost immediately for Kobbie Mainoo.
The alternative is Newcastle where he’d be going into a ready-made berth and he’d be free to play his natural style of football while also getting the opportunity to continue playing Champions League football in a World Cup year.
Benjamin Sesko and Nick Woltemade’s contrasting fortunes have shown the pitfalls of ignoring Manchester United’s dreadful structural problems and diabolical record of marquee signings regressing at Old Trafford for the money and prestige of a big club, and it would be completely understandable if Gallagher does take that option.
But just you can empathise with a position, doesn’t make it right and the best move for Gallagher, Newcastle and even Manchester United for the Englishman to join The Magpies in January.
Continue Reading