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Conor Gallagher appears destined for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this month with a fee reportedly agreed between Spurs and Spanish giants Atletico.
Gallagher has spent the past 18 months in Spain's capital working under respected Atleti boss Diego Simeone but is now set for a return to London with Thomas Frank's Spurs.
Conor Gallagher signing doesn't solve Spurs' biggest problem
Frank's tenure has not gone to plan thus far, with the team struggling to fashion chances, in particular. Spurs have also punched above their weight in terms of goals scored versus Expected Goals (xG), which is widely regarded as an unsustainable practice.
The North Londoners have recorded the fourth-lowest xG tally in the Premier League this season, but have managed to score 30 goals. Their overperformance is partly down to strong finishing but this cannot be relied upon to continue throughout the second half of 2025/26.
Therefore, the signing of Gallagher has drawn criticism from some corners of the club's support, that they are signing a player deemed too similar to current midfield starter Joao Palhinha.
That is not strictly the case and Rodrigo Bentancur's three-month injury lay-off has necessitated the anticipated Gallagher purchase. The ex-Chelsea midfielder is more box-to-box than his Portuguese counterpart and has scored seven goals in 77 appearances for Atletico, but there certainly are similarities to their respective styles.
Whilst Palhinha is regarded as more combative, Gallagher can be trusted to transport the ball upfield more frequently and with greater success. Neither player is particularly effective at progressing the ball with their passing ability, though, which could be cause for concern for Frank.
Similarly, Palhinha and Gallagher are not prolific chance creators, which is hardly likely to help address their xG overperformance.
Alternatives in the middle of the park Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray are all lacking somewhat in the progressive passing department, placing in the 20th, 14th and 2nd percentile, respectively.
Gallagher is an improvement, ranking in the 31st percentile, however, it is still evidently not a strength of his.
Granted, Spurs' ball progression tends to come from the flanks with Pedro Porro and Djed Spence scoring favourably compared to their midfield teammates, but nullify these avenues and opponents will know that Spurs' ball progression through the middle relies on ball-carrying as opposed to line-breaking passes. Once an opposition manager realises this, it is easier to formulate a plan to stop it.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, the Gallagher signing mitigates for Bentancur's injury which can be seen as a positive, but the squad does need a different profile in the centre of midfield, which the 25-year-old arrival from Atletico isn't entirely.
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