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Tottenham Hotspur made a huge transfer splash in the Premier League market on Monday, bringing former Chelsea (and Crystal Palace) man Conor Gallagher back to England, spending 40 million euros to swoop in and steal the veteran center midfielder right from under the noses of rivals Aston Villa.

Gallagher is a bit of a controversial signing, but it seems like most Tottenham fans are looking forward to the 25 year old returning to the Premier League. Not only would Gallagher being a success rub some salt in the wounds of Chelsea fans, but Spurs supporters are also just happy to be bringing in a competent warm body who has leadership chops and a demonstrated desire to fight for the crest on his shirt.

The Gallagher transfer comes just days after Tottenham learned that the injury to another veteran center midfielder, Rodrigo Bentancur, was more severe than expected. Benta went down with a hamstring injury against AFC Bournemouth, and, as it turns out, he actually tore his hamstring and will need surgery that will cost him at least three months of action - and maybe even the World Cup.

Rodrigo Bentancur is headed for the transfer list

But Bentancur has to be more worried than he may even think at this point. He is an expendable player to Spurs, regardless of the rather faulty contract extension he prematurely received to start the 2025/26 Premier League season. He has already been displaced by the much more promising Archie Gray in that deep lying playmaker role, and because Gallagher is more of a No. 8 than a No. 6, Spurs could always still sign another midfielder in 2026, too.

So Gallagher is not a short term replacement for Bentancur. He is another body in the middle of the park to help Spurs stay afloat in the Premier League, and Spurs definitely pushed harder for him in the aftermath of losing an established veteran rotational player in the middle of the pitch.

For some odd reason, Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank seems to have no interest in giving Mathys Tel an extended run of games at either left winger or striker, even though the Frenchman is both one of the most promising players on the team and already the best option on the left wing.

Spurs have no experienced players at the position after selling Son Heung-min to MLS club LAFC this past summer, signing not a soul to replace the South Korean legend. This season, Tel has been the best goal threat and overall player when given opportunities at the position, and he has, likewise, played well at striker.

Yet Frank has not given Tel many starts or meaningful minutes. Tel has played just 465 Premier League minutes this season with a meager five starts and five additional appearances off the bench. With three goals, Tel has nearly as many goals as starts, though Frank has yet to reward the 20 year old with more playing time.

Tottenham lost a key player to injury

That may be coming to change soon, because Tottenham just lost veteran striker Richarlison to a hamstring injury in a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa over the last weekend. That knocks Frank's main striker out of the lineup, giving Tel an easier path to playing time at striker, including in two striker looks.

And with Mohammed Kudus injured and both Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel now the main starting wingers on the right and left, respectively, there is literally zero reason for Thomas Frank to continue to snub the ex Bayern Munich man.

On top of all that - as if this were not enough to sway the manager - Tel is mired in transfer rumors. The U21 talent has specifically requested a loan transfer out of the N17 in order to obtain more playing time before the 2025/26 European league seasons end and the 2026 World Cup begins.

While Tel's dreams of World Cup glory with a highly competitive France squad are likely misplaced, the overall sentiment is well taken. Tel is at a stage of his career where he needs to play, and if Frank is going to keep actively holding back despite plainly seeing that Tel is both his best short and long term option, then Tel may as well cut his losses and leave, implicitly until Spurs get their act together and hire a less incompetent manager.

All the forces of the footballing universe are combining to tell Frank that it is now the time to make Tel a regular starter in the attack. That left wing needs to have his name written in permanent marker.

Tottenham Hotspur made quite the splash on Monday, bringing in Conor Gallagher from out of nowhere, sliding in behind Premier League rivals Aston Villa to coax the Atletico Madrid man to join them for a rather hefty 40 million euros.

That is the price it took for Spurs to convince Atleti to make the move with them instead of Villa, and Spurs fans can only hope that the gamble pays off. Winter transfers for veteran players have a way of biting teams in the behind, especially if they are made out of desperation from a key injury, which was the case for Spurs who lost Rodrigo Bentancur for three months (at least) just days earlier.

Gallagher appeals to Tottenham for a few reasons, though. He is experienced and was a strong player in the Premier League before fizzling out as a poor fi for Diego Simeone in Madrid. Gallagher was not bad for Chelsea despite being pushed out so Enzo Fernandez could (rightfully) take over, and he was excellent before that for local London rivals Crystal Palace while out on loan.

Conor Gallagher is one of the healthiest players in the world

Beyond the Premier League experience, Gallagher is a box to box player with veteran leadership, an amazing work rate, and he almost never misses a game. In fact, if you look at his injury history record on Transfermarkt, Conor Gallagher has literally never missed a game in his carer due to injury. In fact, he has never been injured nor missed a game for any reason; he just missed five days without missing any games during the 2023/24 season for an illness.

But Tottenham Hotspur supporters know that their team is cursed. It does not matter how clean your bill of health is: once you come here, you are doomed to an injury. So while Gallagher comes in with the best ability of availability, Spurs fans will recall that the same was said about record breaking 65 million pound striker signing Dominic Solanke in 2024 when he joined from Bournemouth.

At that time, Solanke had never missed more than 10 games at once since the 2018/19 season when he had a 13 game absence with a groin strain. And he had only suffered two injuries since the 2020/21 season before moving, never missing one game in the preceding 2023/24 campaign for the Cherries.

Tottenham Hotspur have been trying to make significant sales in recent months in order to clear up squad space and raise funds, but they have had to make some tough decisions on that front. This past summer, club legend Son Heung-min and Spurs mutually elected to part ways with a sale to MLS for a bit of money, as Son was ready to ride off into the sunset after winning a historic Europa League title, exiting the club before the decline really set in.

But instead of finding his heir or using the money to build to the future on the left wing, Tottenham did not sign any left wingers. They have two brilliant young French forwards in Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert, though manager Thomas Frank is frustratingly not making the most of them.

Spurs ultimately hurt themselves on the left wing by not signing an experienced, established star - like, say, Ademola Lookman - to at least partially replace the irreplaceable icon Son, and thus, now, they are very desperate for a left winger in the January transfer market.

Tottenham are thin on both wings now

Likewise, Tottenham have to learn from their mistake of selling Son without a replacement left winger in the summer by not ending up empty handed on the right wing, too. Because while Spurs were even more right to sell Brennan Johnson this winter than they were to sell Son to MLS, the sale of the Europa League hero to Crystal Palace leaves Tottenham dangerously thin on the right wing, too.

In fact, in the short term, Spurs are actually in bigger trouble on the right than they are on the left. Because while they at least have Odobert and Tel out left, Odobert now has to shift to the right hand side for potentially another month, since Mohammed Kudus has now joined Dejan Kulusevski on the injured list with a multi month ailment of his own.

So sitting in the winter transfer window, Tottenham now have a need on the right wing, too, and players like Oscar Bobb and Maghnes Akliouche to potentially fill it. And looking back at the Son mistake, Tottenham can ill afford to repeat it twice on the other side of the formation.

Now, Spurs are having a hard enough time finding a left winger with players like Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush rejecting them, but the danger of not signing two new wingers this winter - in addition to another midfielder - is much greater with Spurs technically closer to the relegation battle than the top four fight.

With Conor Gallagher being such a Chelsea man, it is surprising to see him about to join rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Gallagher never wanted to leave Stamford Bridge; he was their captain and came from a family of the club's supporters.

Due to the Premier League's profitability and sustainability regulations, selling Gallagher made sense for Chelsea. He went to Atletico Madrid and became a key part of Diego Simeone's side. He played 77 times for Atletico, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists.

Gallagher never won anything at Atletico, but it was always going to be difficult competing in a country against the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. The only silverware he has is the 2018/19 Europa League, but he did not play a minute during Chelsea's win of that tournament.

Spurs won the Europa League last season, ending a 17-year trophy drought. They had been looking to build on this by appointing Thomas Frank. However, things have not gone to plan with Tottenham, currently 14th in the Premier League. More signings alongside Gallagher will be needed to turn around their fortunes.

Who should Tottenham Hotspur sign apart from Conor Gallagher?

Spurs had been linked with Antoine Semenyo before he signed for Manchester City from AFC Bournemouth. Semenyo is already up and running for City, scoring in a 10-1 win over Exeter City in the FA Cup. He has pushed Savinho further down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium. The Brazilian was not involved against Exeter and has been left out of City's last two Premier League games.

Savinho was linked with Tottenham last summer, but ended up staying at City. This season, he has only played 15 times in the Premier League, without scoring, but he has made two assists. The Brazilian has mostly been used as a substitute by Pep Guardiola. Savinho has only really performed in the EFL Cup this season, scoring twice in two games.

At just 21 years old, Savinho needs to be playing. He would be useful to Frank as Spurs only have Wilson Odobert as a natural left winger. Savinho can also play on the right wing as well as centrally.

Tottenham Hotspur surprised a lot of people on Monday afternoon by signing Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, ending on and off again transfer speculation that has existed for at least a year between the former Chelsea player and the North London giants.

The Gallagher transfer pretty much comes in direct response to the injury to veteran center midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, whose ailment in the loss to Bournemouth ended up being considerably more severe than expected. Many fans assumed Benta would only miss a couple of games with a hamstring issue, but, as it turns out, he tore the hamstring and may require surgery in what is a multi month injury.

So enter Gallagher, who was mostly a backup for Atletico Madrid, becoming the latest player to make a failed transfer from the Premier League to the Spanish capital. Gallagher has never been a star player, and whlie he is a decent footballer, the fee of 40 million euros for the 25 year old is also quite steep and a good bit more than Aston Villa were planning on paying Atletico for him before Spurs came barging in like the Kool Aid man.

Tottenham are doing the most, and it's not good

To make matters even worse than that for Tottenham Hotspur, though, not only are the club paying Atletico Madrid a boat load of money for Conor Gallagher, but they are also giving him a pretty bloated contract.

According to a report from talkSPORT transfer insiders Ben Jacobs and Alex Crook, Gallagher has agreed to sign a 5.5 year deal with Tottenham and will soon travel for his medical to make this long term deal with Spurs offiical.

Tottenham are basically going to have Gallagher under contract through the age of 30, which is pretty wild and a slap in the face to Lucas Bergvall. See, Thomas Frank and Tottenham have not been playing their best No. 8 and their midfield star of the future in his preferred position, and when they needed a No. 6 even more after Bentancur went down, they simply went ahead and signed a No. 8 who will just eat into Bergvall's (and Pape Matar Sarr's) minutes.

It is especially puzzling for Tottenham to commit so many years to Gallagher, whom Atletico Madrid, like Chelsea before them, were pretty blatantly desperate to sell. This all feels like another giant misstep by Spurs born out of desperation, and Bergvall is going to be the one holding the back at the end of it. Maybe he, too, like Micky van de Ven will begin to dream of Real Madrid and old suitors Barcelona as an escape.

Tottenham Hotspur have been running down the list of possible winger targets in the January transfer window. They started dreaming of a big move for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, but he did not give them a second thought and only had eyes for Manchester City, where he has already won Man of the Match honors in his first FA Cup outing under Pep Guardiola.

Then, Tottenham turned their attention to other Manchester City wingers who could be expendable after the Semenyo transfer. But Savinho got injured and Omar Marmoush is still not interested in giving up on his career at the Emptyhad, while Oscar Bobb is now the only option Spurs could potentially finagle from the Citizens.

So that then makes the No. 1 winger transfer target on that left hand side for Spurs Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig. Tottenham went to the Leipzig well this past summer, bagging their biggest star in Xavi Simons, who is starting to pay dividends for Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham would have to pay a lot for Yan Diomande

Diomande, though, will be tough to sign. Manchester United and Bayern Munich have more transfer cachet, and they are both prioritizing the 19 year old Leipzig gem as a possible winger transfer in 2026. Leipzig, for their part, are throwing around figures of 100 million euros for Diomande and making it pretty clear that they want to avoid selling until the summer.

But maybe, just maybe, RB Leipzig will now be open to a Yan Diomande sale this winter. According to a report from Sky Sports Germany journalists Florian Plettenberg and Philipp Hinze, Leipzig are actually closing in on a deal for a young 19 year old winger from Slovak side AS Trencin, Sani Suleiman.

If that name sounds familiar to Tottenham fans, then that is because - alongside Bundesliga giants Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen, as well as La Liga side Sevilla - Spurs were among the clubs interested in the underrated Nigerian standout. He fit unde the Johan Lange special of young, unknown wingers with high upside.

It looks like Suleiman was worth targeting, because Leipzig tend to not miss when they go for these hidden gems around Europe. But Suleiman is probably more at the level of a selling club like Leipzig than a club like Tottenham that wants to get back to competing for the Premier League title.

But someone like Diomande is ripe for a club with Spurs ambitions, and if Leipzig are signing Suleiman on the wings, that could, in theory, open up the chance for Diomande to go. Now, Diomande is better and more ready than Suleiman, so if the Suleiman transfer for six to seven million euros is sealed by Leipzig, it does not guarantee Diomande will go. But it does increase the likelihood of Leipzig being willing to listen to a hefty offer from Spurs - or someone else.

When Tottenham Hotspur learned that center midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur would have to miss a whopping three months - and maybe even more - with a torn hamstring he suffered in a recent 3-2 Premier League defeat to AFC Bournemouth, they did not waste much time in signing another experienced midfielder to take his place.

But instead of landing a deep lying playmaker who can upgrade on Bentancur - as the Uruguayan international had not been doing the job particularly well this season despite a contract extension - Spurs went in the opposite direction with more of a box to box bulldog in Atletico Madrid center mid Conor Gallagher.

The No. 8 was sold by Chelsea a couple of years ago and brought to Atletico Madrid, where he has not exactly hit it off, which is why the Rojiblancos sold him. Aston Villa looked like they were about to land Gallagher, but Tottenham got serious about acquiring the English midfielder following Benta's bad injury.

Tottenham's big need has not changed

But what Spurs need to do now is go back and sign that deep lying midfielder they were already supposed to even before Bentancur got injured. See, Tottenham were in the market for a new midfielder this summer in the No. 6 role, they passed up on it, and then they were once again in the market for one this January.

So with a need in midfield existing prior to the Bentancur injury, Tottenham actually needed to sign two new midifelders. Gallagher is a veteran option checked off the list, and now Tottenham need to go out there and sign that second midfielder.

Tottenham brought in Joao Palhinha and Xavi Simons this past summer from the Bundesliga, and both have helped. Palhinha has his negatives on the ball, but he has been a great defensive destroyer and the jury is still out on his future at the club with an option to buy with Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Simons has been getting better and better in that 10 role, shining against Aston Villa in the FA Cup despite a 2-1 defeat.

But Spurs still have not landed that deep lying playmaker to steady the ship and give young Archie Gray a load off his shoulders. Gray, by the way, has wisely started to take more starts away from Bentancur, even long before the Uruguayan's unfortunate injury.

The Gallagher move is something Spurs fans have to wait and see before fully judging, but even before that time comes, Tottenham do need to land another fish in the middle of the park.

Young winger Mikey Moore burst onto the scene in the 2024/25 campaign for Tottenham Hotspur, shining in Europa League outings and making a name for himself as the next potential star forward for Spurs at a time when the club were beginning to think about a future without Son Heung-min.

Well, that future is now, and as Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert fight for minutes out on the left with Spurs perusing the transfer market for possible options, Moore is starting double digit games for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League while out on loan - and even scoring crucial goals in the Old Firm Derby against Celtic.

Moore is someone Tottenham are thinking about as a potential starter on the left wing and someone they could bring back from his loan next season. At 18, Moore has a long way to go in his development, but with three goals and an assist this season with 1.1 dribbles completed per game, Moore is putting up some decent numbers over at Rangers.

Mikey Moore is not ready at all

The thing is, though, those are only decent numbers. Moore may be young, but he is also playing in a pretty easy league, and while it is easy for goals like the one against Celtic to stand out, there are other games in which Moore has not been as present or consistent for Rangers.

Now, Moore's stats are dragged down by the fact that he was coached by the incompetent Russell Martin to start the 2025/26 campaign, and now that Rangers are more suitably managed, things are going better for him. But just ask any Tottenham Hotspur fan and they will tell you that a truly great player has to be able to perform no matter who the manager is. Because let's just say, Spurs current coach isn't exactly one of the best in the Premier League.

Moore is doing the right things at Rangers, he is way too young for anyone to write off, and he is someone worth considering as a future part of the Spurs lineup. But the thing is, it is also too early going the other direction. It is far too early to anoint Moore as the next Son or even the next starting left winger at Tottenham.

His numbers at Rangers show promise but also paint the picture of a player who still has a long ways to go. We are talking about someone who, if he were to be at Tottenham right now, he would be nowhere near the starting lineup and would not even be a serious player in the rotation next to Odobert and Tel.

Tottenham Hotspur have been underperforming badly this season under Thomas Frank and are still buried in the bottom half of the Premier League, but, unlike last year, there is no hope of a prestigious trophy turning the tide of the narrative of a dismal season.

The one bright thing about Spurs is that they have a roster filled with great young talents, and while some of those talents - like Micky van de Ven and Mathys Tel - are now at risk of leaving, there is an exceptional nucleus of young stars worth building around. And they added a couple of more gems this past summer transfer window in Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons.

Going forward, Spurs need to pick up a few more and make sure they do not lose any of their current crop. Already, Tottenham are expecting to bring in Souza from the Brazilian Serie A, as the gem left back from Santos is ready to step in and compete with Destiny Udogie, supplanting Djed Spence, who was an awful ersatz for the Italian international as a completely unnatural left back.

Tottenham brought in Souza for a reason

But as Tottenham get ready to embrace Souza as Udogie's backup, Spurs also have to start thinking about the incumbent starter. Because one of the biggest reasons for bringing in Souza to compete at left back and eventually develop is that a harsh reality is beginning to settle in with Udogie.

Although Udogie is talented and one of European football's better left backs when healthy, he is indeed not currently healthy. And, in fact, since joining Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte in the Premier League after flashing potential at Udinese, Udogie has been pretty rarely healthy for Spurs.

This season, Udogie has started just six Premier League games with four additioanl appearances off the bench. A total of six starts for a sure fire starter at this point in the season in mid January is quite a low return and really underscores how unreliable all the injuries have made him.

Still only 23 years of age, Udogie is a man with all the talent and potential in the world to be a world class left back, but Spurs have to wonder if he will ever realize it or if he will every be healthy enough to be someone Spurs can rely on. That makes the Souza signing more importnat than maybe some fans realize, because Spurs themselves have learned that they can no longer 100 percent count on Udogie to fulfill his destiny.