Conor Gallagher has played his final game for Atlético de Madrid.
Gallagher is returning to England as a new player for Tottenham Hotspur, which agreed a €40 million deal with Atlético on Monday to bring the ex-Chelsea midfielder back to the Premier League.
Matteo Moretto reported earlier in the day that Aston Villa had taken the lead for Gallagher and were deep in negotiations with Atlético over a loan with an obligation to buy. But The Athletic’s David Ornstein was the first to report Spurs’ offer for a permanent transfer that beat Villa’s proposal, and so Gallagher is on his way to London instead of Birmingham.
Marca’s David Medina had also reported that Villa and Manchester United wanted Gallagher, who has scored three goals and provided one assist in 27 appearances this season.
Atlético were open to letting Gallagher leave this month, as he failed to carve out a starting spot since his arrival in the Great João Félix Swap Deal of 2024. And Gallagher, keen to return to the England national team, was angling to move back to the Premier League despite his contentment with life in Madrid.
While the midfielder’s €9 million salary can be onerous for a Spanish team, Spurs can easily pay it — and his signing has the additional benefit of aiding their “homegrown” quota, the rule by which eight players out of a 25-player squad must be trained in England.
Spurs sit a lowly 14th in the Premier League under first-year boss Thomas Frank, but only six points separate the North London club from fifth place and likely Champions League qualification for next season. Their interest in Gallagher was spurred (pun intended) by a hamstring injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, who is likely out for the next three months.
I had selling Gallagher (or loaning him out with the goal of selling him) marked as one of sporting director Mateu Alemany’s objectives for this month. Even in Atleti’s poorly-constructed midfield, Gallagher made only nine starts in all competitions; he is a good player, but he wasn’t the type of player this team needs. His departure is good news for all parties, and Atleti now might have the margin to sign a replacement who offers a better balance.
Gallagher is an attacking midfielder built for Premier League football, a box-crasher who thrives when he’s able to win the ball high or run into the penalty area. Here, Gallagher was exposed when playing in a double pivot, the role in which the board first envisioned him playing when he arrived two summers ago. He lacked the technical skill and the dynamic passing range necessary to help Atleti control games; this was evident once again in the Supercopa de España semifinal, when Diego Simeone chose Gallagher to step in for the injured Pablo Barrios and swiftly removed him at halftime of the eventual 2-1 loss to Real Madrid.
Gallagher’s 18-month Atlético career ends with five goals and three assists across 51 appearances (23 starts) in LaLiga. Across all competitions, Gallagher scored seven goals and assisted seven more over 77 games (37 starts) for Los Rojiblancos.