Inisight from Spain 

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It’s been a pretty miserable first half of the season for Tottenham, but some excitement may stem out of their latest transfer activity. Spurs are expected to complete a €40 million deal for Atlético Madrid and England midfielder Conor Gallagher after moving ahead of Aston Villa in the race for his signature. Villa appeared to be in pole position to sign Gallagher, but Spurs are now closing in on the 25-year-old after expressing a willingness to meet Atléico’s valuation on a permanent deal this winter. Villa had preferred to sign the former Chelsea man on an initial loan deal with an option to make the move permanent in the summer.

Gallagher has not yet agreed personal terms with Spurs, but that is understood to be a formality. The midfielder is thought to be keen to finalise the transfer as soon as possible, and he will hope a move back to the Premier League may boost his chances of breaking back into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup. He has only played once under the German so far, featuring for 59 minutes in the 3-1 friendly defeat by Senegal. It was a bold move for Gallagher to swap his boyhood club Chelsea for Diego Simeone’s Atlético, but just how did the midfielder perform in LaLiga?

How has Gallagher performed in Spain?

Gallagher signed for Spanish giants Atlético in the summer of 2024, leaving Stamford Bridge in a €42m deal. The transfer led to some unrest from some sections of the Blues support, with it suggested a large contributing factor behind the sale was the fact he was a homegrown player, so therefore generated more profit to stay on the right side of the Premier League’s financial laws. Last season, in his first campaign in Madrid, he made a decent impact, with his relentless pressing suiting the style of the team. He was nicknamed ‘El Pitbull’ for his tenacious hounding of opposition defenders and ability to rapidly cover ground, and appeared the perfect fit for ‘El Cholo’s’ Atlético.

However, despite playing 32 times in LaLiga, he only started half of the 38 matches in the league, with fierce competition in midfield from Pablo Barrios, Koke, Rodrigo De Paul and Marcos Llorente. Gallagher also made nine appearances in the Champions League last term, with his best moment in an Atlético shirt probably being his goal against rivals Real Madrid in the round of 16 at the Metropolitano.

Iván Turmo is Transfermarkt’s Area Manager in Spain and explains more about Gallagher’s time in Madrid: “He has failed to establish himself as a regular starter for Atlético, and has faced increased competition this year after Atlético signed Johnny Cardoso, Álex Baena, Thiago Almada, and Nico González. Overall, he is a player who never really managed to secure a regular place in the starting XI. He had numerous opportunities but never put together a run of good performances to earn a starting spot.”

“If Atlético receives €40m for him, the transfer will be a very profitable deal,” continues Turmo. “That would mean recouping the investment they made in the player a year and a half ago, for someone who hasn’t been able to make a name for himself in Spain. After all, he was essentially a substitute.
Gallagher’s strong reputation in England and the bidding war between Aston Villa and Tottenham have worked in the Spanish club’s favour.” With Spurs looking to add to their midfield options after Rodrigo Bentancur was ruled out for at least three months with hamstring surgery, a move to North London could revitalise the 25 year old’s career, and help put him back at the forefront of Tuchel’s mind for a place in England’s midfield.