Tottenham’s biggest deal so far this January window could prove a major risk to Thomas Frank
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Tottenham Hotspur need to see improvement quickly under Thomas Frank and have turned to the January transfer window as they aim to turn things around in the Dane’s first campaign in charge.
The north London outfit sit down in 14th place in the Premier League and were dumped out of the FA Cup at the third-round stage by Aston Villa last weekend, with a run in the Champions League knockout stages already looking like Frank’s best shot at a successful first campaign with the Lilywhites.
Spurs sold Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace in the early days of the window and the indication given was that the north London outfit would use the money obtained from that sale in order to add reinforcements to Frank’s squad.
While a forward to directly replace Johnson has yet to arrive, one major transfer deal was announced by the club on Wednesday – and it could be a disaster waiting to happen.
Tottenham sign ex-Chelsea star Conor Gallagher in shock move
Tottenham announced on Wednesday that they have completed a £35m deal for Conor Gallagher, with the former Atletico Madrid midfielder making a return to the Premier League just 18 months after departing for Spain. But was it the right move?
Spurs completed a major transfer hijack over Aston Villa in order seal a deal for Gallagher, which begs the question of why the player opted for north London despite his strong previous ties with Chelsea. Having signed for the Blues at the age of six, Gallagher broke through their Cobham academy and into the first team, even wearing the captain’s armband on occasion in his final season at the club. Why he has now signed for one of their biggest rivals so soon after is confusing, to say the least.
From Tottenham’s point of view, this move presents a major risk due to Gallagher’s association with Chelsea. The two London rivals famously do not get on and players who have represented both clubs in the Premier League era – Timo Werner being the most recent example – tend to struggle to replicate the same levels of performance at both clubs.
Eidur Gudjohnsen is another player who struggled to make an impact in a loan spell at Tottenham following strong ties with Stamford Bridge, while William Gallas boasted the uncommon feat of representing all of Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal and that is remembered to this day. Then there was Mauricio Pochettino, who struggled to be truly accepted as manager at Stamford Bridge as a Spurs legend.
Chelsea fans react amid transfer which could ramp up pressure on Frank
If Gallagher hits the ground running at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, all might be forgotten and Spurs fans will claim they have got one over on their rivals. But the atmosphere around the club – particularly at home matches – has not always been good in recent months. Should Spurs’ form continue to decline, the 25-year-old could quickly become a scapegoat in the eyes of some of the club’s more ardent supporters.
The situation would also not reflect well on Frank, who is already coming under intense scrutiny as it is and arguably cannot afford for this signing to fail. The questioning of why he turned to a former Chelsea star in an attempt to turn around Spurs’ season may prove too much for the former Brentford boss to come back from.
The impact of a former Chelsea academy product signing for Tottenham has not been lost on Blues fans, who have taken to social media in recent days to express their discontent at Gallagher moving on to one of their biggest rivals.
“Oh Conor, what have you done”, wrote one fan on X. Another added: “Conor refused Aston Villa just to join our rival.” While a third expressed: “And some fans called him proper Chels [crying emoji].”
The reaction to this surprise transfer will continue to rage in the coming days, with the pressure truly on for this move to work out as the pressure ramps up on Frank.