Both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid gave up on Conor Gallagher. At Chelsea, Gallagher had bright moments and put up solid numbers, favored by Mauricio Pochettino but not by his fan base. And Chelsea's decision to sell their future Tottenham Hotspur rival midfielder to Atletico Madrid was then justified by Enzo Fernandez stepping up in his place as the perfect anchor partner for Moises Caicedo behind another world class baller in Cole Palmer.
Gallagher then went on to Atleti and was poor, shuttled out of the starting lineup and placed pretty quickly on the transfer list with lukewarm interest. That is, of course, until this winter transfer window when Aston Villa pushed hard to sign the former Crystal Palace star, only for Tottenham to then swoop in at the last second and overpay for a bit to ensure they would sign a warm body in midfield for 40 million euros after Rodrigo Bentancur's multi month injury.
To start his Tottenham career, Gallagher was poor, but that was predictable. He had been in the Premier League before and played very well for Palace, but even he needed an adjustment period, especially with not playing as much for the Rojiblancos.
Conor Gallagher showed up
Given the concerns about his ability to be creative and progress the ball for Spurs, the early rough patch was a cause for concern, but in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City, the only big Tottenham Hotspur signing of January 2026 showed why both Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank were so dead set on signing him.
He helped turn the narrative with a much better performance against one of the biggest clubs in European football. Conor Gallagher delivered a crucial assist in the draw while playing excellently on the ball as a dribbler to progress play and draw fouls.
And as advertised, the midfield leader was a real asset as a ball winner, recording two tackles and three interceptions for the Lilywhites in a full 90 minutes of action as one of the big catalysts for a comeback in midfield.
Tottenham supporters came away very impressed with Gallagher's work rate, attitude, and desire to win. He would not give up on Spurs, and he, Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke were brilliant in that half. Four of those players have been the core of the good results for Spurs so Gallagher joining that group is an early sign of what could be a great stint.