Conor Gallagher

[blanchflower007]

My problem with the transfer is that I just don't see where he fits. If we move on Hojbjerg and LoCelso I don't think he is a replacement for either of them. His best position is an 8 for which we already have Sarr and Bentancur who I would argue have a higher ceiling and Bergvall who has apparely been promised game time next season. It still leaves 2 huge holes for a Maddison back up and a top level number 6 (Archie Grey being my preferred option). And it leaves a big dent in the budget. My worry is he is seen as a player Ange likes and is an opportunity to get below market value due to the contact situation, but it doesn't address the key needs in midfield.

I know people are saying we can fund it by selling Hojbjerg and LoCelso but if we sell both of those we need put that money towards a top level no 6 and a Maddison rotation option.

There are so many areas that need addressing the the squad we need to put our money to these first.

 

[gibbospurs]

My problem with the transfer is that I just don't see where he fits. If we move on Hojbjerg and LoCelso I don't think he is a replacement for either of them. His best position is an 8 for which we already have Sarr and Bentancur who I would argue have a higher ceiling and Bergvall who has apparely been promised game time next season. It still leaves 2 huge holes for a Maddison back up and a top level number 6 (Archie Grey being my preferred option). And it leaves a big dent in the budget. My worry is he is seen as a player Ange likes and is an opportunity to get below market value due to the contact situation, but it doesn't address the key needs in midfield.

I know people are saying we can fund it by selling Hojbjerg and LoCelso but if we sell both of those we need put that money towards a top level no 6 and a Maddison rotation option.

There are so many areas that need addressing the the squad we need to put our money to these first.

Itk about a few yoof players getting game time at last. Also the lad we nicked from Barca that I can’t spell. Berg something. CG at Chelsea doesn’t inspire me much, but tbf I’ve watched jot apart from bits on motd. CG from place and he’s bang on. I just can’t see them selling him. I can’t see him wanting to go. And especially to us.

 

[DiamondLites]

Ange really wants him, and I guess that’s all that really matters but I really struggle to see where he fits. He’s not a 6 which is what we are in desperate need of, he’s an 8. Bentancur (at full fitness) is levels above him and Sarr has proven to be a player with a massive future. And there’s Deki who can play there, and Bergvall coming in who’s expected to be part of the first team

Add in the Chelsea roots, and the fact he was one of the snidey pricks targeting Maddison’s ankles that game he got injured and I really struggle to get the logic in our pursuit of him

 

[yellowbean]

I just cannot see this move materialising. I just dont see him sitting in a chair doing his welcome interview saying how happy he is to be at Spurs having come through the Chelsea system with everyone aware FFP was a main driver for him being sold.
This is one of those 'head scratching signings vs back the manager with players he wants' dilemmas. If i had to guess i'd say he doesnt come here and personally i'd prefer we focussed funds on more priority positions.

 

[DannyNZ]

Ange really wants him, and I guess that’s all that really matters but I really struggle to see where he fits. He’s not a 6 which is what we are in desperate need of, he’s an 8. Bentancur (at full fitness) is levels above him and Sarr has proven to be a player with a massive future. And there’s Deki who can play there, and Bergvall coming in who’s expected to be part of the first team

Add in the Chelsea roots, and the fact he was one of the snidey pricks targeting Maddison’s ankles that game he got injured and I really struggle to get the logic in our pursuit of him

The logic would include Ange wants him (presumably), that he is measurably better than Sarr, Bentancur or Deki, that he absolutely fits our style of play, that he is a consistent performer that can be relied on. If Ange wants him then I’m 100% behind him, Gallagher improves our starting 11 in my view.

 

[McFlash]

I just cannot see this move materialising. I just dont see him sitting in a chair doing his welcome interview saying how happy he is to be at Spurs having come through the Chelsea system with everyone aware FFP was a main driver for him being sold.
This is one of those 'head scratching signings vs back the manager with players he wants' dilemmas. If i had to guess i'd say he doesnt come here and personally i'd prefer we focussed funds on more priority positions.

While I'm not sold on Gallagher yet because I feel we have higher priorities to address, with the type of chap he seems to be, being sold against his wishes may be the perfect driver to push him on further.
He may well just feel shat on and want to prove that Chelsea were idiots to let him go.

 

[Booney]

It will sicken some Chelsea fans right to the very depths of their souls to see him in our shirt. A real hammer blow to morale just as they are scrambling around for yet another manager.

Forget all the armchair tactical analysis. It’s for this reason alone that I’m fully in.

 

[SuperLuka]

It will sicken some Chelsea fans right to the very depths of their souls to see him in our shirt. A real hammer blow to morale just as they are scrambling around for yet another manager.

Forget all the armchair tactical analysis. It’s for this reason alone that I’m fully in.

You've sold the idea to me. I'm now fully in too.

 

[purplemonkey]

Most of the objections to Gallagher are around the quality of our existing midfielders and the notion that we have higher priorities elsewhere. I don’t get it.

We have a fairly settled XI in most positions but the fact is that none of our CMs have nailed down a starting spot this season so Ange clearly isn’t satisfied with his options. Even Hojbjerg who clearly isn’t part of his long term plans has featured in 95% of the games this season, has played more than 45 mins in 39% of the fixtures and started in key games against City and Arsenal in the run in. That tells you everything you need to know. Sarr, Bentancur and Bissouma are good (possibly great) players, but they simply haven’t performed at the levels required with any consistency this season. Gallagher has comprehensively outperformed our midfielders across every relevant metric.

Following that, the idea that Gallagher would be some sort of luxury signing just doesn’t make sense. If Ange has been chasing him since day one it’s because he’s a key part of his plans, and that’s because he typifies everything that Ange demands rolled into one player. Gallagher would be his leader and standard bearer on the pitch. The case made against his signing is that he doesn’t have the necessary technical quality but that’s a very myopic and selective view. If you look instead at what he’s good at, you’ll recognise that he’s actually elite in those areas, and that those strengths align perfectly with what Ange needs and demands. I’ll leave you with some quotes from the big man:

• "People talk about recruiting, but it’s pretty hard to get it wrong as they’re all so good. It’s more about the fit. Do they fit into the football we want to play? Are they the right kind of personality? That’s a big one for me – with the way we play, you need to have a certain mindset as an individual, to be brave and to want to challenge yourself on a daily basis."
• “More than about technical ability, it’s about have they got the guts. “Can they do it with no fear? Even if we make mistakes, will they keep doing it?”
• “Be brave,” he said during one team talk as revealed by Australian TV station Channel 10’s footage. “I’ll back you 1,000 per cent. Just know either side of you you’ve got someone you can rely on. So if you f*ck up, they’ll make it up for you. And next time they fuck up, you’ll make it up to them. Be ruthless, be relentless”.
• “We never stop,” the Australian said during one of his first training sessions at Celtic. “We stop at half-time and we stop at the end of the game when we celebrate. If the opposition wants to stop, that’s good for us.”
• “This was my blueprint. Let’s play aggressive attacking football. Let’s show the world and maybe ourselves that we are not just battlers. Get the ball and play. Play out from the back, play forward and when we lose it no backward steps, stay in their faces. It sounded simple but in essence it was an extremely difficult task. I have said many times that there is a misconception that you need to be of certain quality to play this way, but that is not true. The major ingredient is courage”.
• “The defending side is really about the ball,” said Tottenham’s head coach. “As a coach, when I am watching the game, I am just not comfortable when the opposition has the ball. So our whole defensive setup is, ‘Let’s get the ball back off them as quickly as possible’. “I don’t want to be in a situation where I am watching the opposition working us around the pitch, or looking for space. So a lot of that is (about) immediate pressure after we have lost the ball — pressure high up the pitch, away from our goal where if we win it there’s a massive reward.”

 

[vegassd]

If Ange has been chasing him since day one it’s because he’s a key part of his plans, and that’s because he typifies everything that Ange demands rolled into one player.

This is it in a nutshell for me.

Lots of talk about 6 & 8 still, even after Ange has said he isn't particularly fussed by all that. I think there is a tendency amongst fans to see players as having a single set of attributes, or being able to fill a specific role in a team, whereas I bet a lot of players can adapt their game to suit a particular manager or style of play.

Perhaps it's just that Gallagher doesn't pass the eye test for a lot of people. I have a feeling that Ange is more impressed by his athleticism and attitude more than him being a finesse player or a destroyer or anything like that. I won't be upset if we don't sign him, but I get a feeling that if we do he will be one of those players who raises the game of their team mates.

 

[mil1lion]

He's certainly a player I would be happy to sign but would be concerned if we don't also get a defensive midfielder. In fact I would be happy to sell Bissouma, Skipp and Hojbjerg to be replaced with 1DM , Gallagher and Bergvall.

 

[yankspurs]

It will sicken some Chelsea fans right to the very depths of their souls to see him in our shirt. A real hammer blow to morale just as they are scrambling around for yet another manager.

Forget all the armchair tactical analysis. It’s for this reason alone that I’m fully in.

Like he would even come? He loves that club. Boehly & co have not factored in that they cant force him to leave. Especially if they agreed a fee with a club that fans & players see as rivals, even if the head honchos dont think like that anymore.

 

[AssaTM]

Have we actually been linked to him recently? This is an awful lot of chatter and I may have missed something

 

[King of the Lane]

Have we actually been linked to him recently? This is an awful lot of chatter and I may have missed something

yeah by a few journos and most recently Romano on a podcast/interview

 

[mr ashley]

Most of the objections to Gallagher are around the quality of our existing midfielders and the notion that we have higher priorities elsewhere. I don’t get it.

We have a fairly settled XI in most positions but the fact is that none of our CMs have nailed down a starting spot this season so Ange clearly isn’t satisfied with his options. Even Hojbjerg who clearly isn’t part of his long term plans has featured in 95% of the games this season, has played more than 45 mins in 39% of the fixtures and started in key games against City and Arsenal in the run in. That tells you everything you need to know. Sarr, Bentancur and Bissouma are good (possibly great) players, but they simply haven’t performed at the levels required with any consistency this season. Gallagher has comprehensively outperformed our midfielders across every relevant metric.

Following that, the idea that Gallagher would be some sort of luxury signing just doesn’t make sense. If Ange has been chasing him since day one it’s because he’s a key part of his plans, and that’s because he typifies everything that Ange demands rolled into one player. Gallagher would be his leader and standard bearer on the pitch. The case made against his signing is that he doesn’t have the necessary technical quality but that’s a very myopic and selective view. If you look instead at what he’s good at, you’ll recognise that he’s actually elite in those areas, and that those strengths align perfectly with what Ange needs and demands. I’ll leave you with some quotes from the big man:

• "People talk about recruiting, but it’s pretty hard to get it wrong as they’re all so good. It’s more about the fit. Do they fit into the football we want to play? Are they the right kind of personality? That’s a big one for me – with the way we play, you need to have a certain mindset as an individual, to be brave and to want to challenge yourself on a daily basis."
• “More than about technical ability, it’s about have they got the guts. “Can they do it with no fear? Even if we make mistakes, will they keep doing it?”
• “Be brave,” he said during one team talk as revealed by Australian TV station Channel 10’s footage. “I’ll back you 1,000 per cent. Just know either side of you you’ve got someone you can rely on. So if you f*ck up, they’ll make it up for you. And next time they fuck up, you’ll make it up to them. Be ruthless, be relentless”.
• “We never stop,” the Australian said during one of his first training sessions at Celtic. “We stop at half-time and we stop at the end of the game when we celebrate. If the opposition wants to stop, that’s good for us.”
• “This was my blueprint. Let’s play aggressive attacking football. Let’s show the world and maybe ourselves that we are not just battlers. Get the ball and play. Play out from the back, play forward and when we lose it no backward steps, stay in their faces. It sounded simple but in essence it was an extremely difficult task. I have said many times that there is a misconception that you need to be of certain quality to play this way, but that is not true. The major ingredient is courage”.
• “The defending side is really about the ball,” said Tottenham’s head coach. “As a coach, when I am watching the game, I am just not comfortable when the opposition has the ball. So our whole defensive setup is, ‘Let’s get the ball back off them as quickly as possible’. “I don’t want to be in a situation where I am watching the opposition working us around the pitch, or looking for space. So a lot of that is (about) immediate pressure after we have lost the ball — pressure high up the pitch, away from our goal where if we win it there’s a massive reward.”

The Ivan Toney thread is full of comments about him not suiting us because he doesn’t press (as if that’s his own decision- strikers stop pressing pretty quickly when they realise no one else is following them, and Brentford play a counter attacking system anyway) yet Gallagher is one of the best pressing midfielders in the league and apparently he doesn’t suit?

Henderson was also a great counter pressing midfielder for Liverpool without being technically elite, and allowed more technical players to flourish.

personally I think he would be a good addition. I wouldn’t want to see him at any of our rivals or stay at Chelsea because he’d immediately make them stronger

 

[SpursSince1980]

The Ivan Toney thread is full of comments about him not suiting us because he doesn’t press (as if that’s his own decision- strikers stop pressing pretty quickly when they realise no one else is following them, and Brentford play a counter attacking system anyway) yet Gallagher is one of the best pressing midfielders in the league and apparently he doesn’t suit?

Henderson was also a great counter pressing midfielder for Liverpool without being technically elite, and allowed more technical players to flourish.

personally I think he would be a good addition. I wouldn’t want to see him at any of our rivals or stay at Chelsea because he’d immediately make them stronger

I can see why Ange would want him, if that’s true. He has all of the attributes Ange prioritizes in midfield. Including a great engine, bravery, intelligence, leadership, flexibility, and a winning mentality. Plus he would take to Ange’s system quickly based on the way he plays.
He also offers something a little different from the current crop, which I feel Ange also values. He wants each player to bring something unique. In Gallagher’s case I think it’s his work rate and forward thinking persistence. A strength that make others better around him.
He gives us two players in one. We would go into next season with a midfield consisting of: Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr, Madison, Bergvall, and Gallagher. With the exception of Bergvall being an unknown in terms of how quickly he will acclimate, that is a lot of quality in depth, with a lot of experience, which is critical if we want to realistically contend on all fronts. There can’t be a drop off in quality anymore.

 

[arunspurs]

My problem with the transfer is that I just don't see where he fits. If we move on Hojbjerg and LoCelso I don't think he is a replacement for either of them. His best position is an 8 for which we already have Sarr and Bentancur who I would argue have a higher ceiling and Bergvall who has apparely been promised game time next season. It still leaves 2 huge holes for a Maddison back up and a top level number 6 (Archie Grey being my preferred option). And it leaves a big dent in the budget. My worry is he is seen as a player Ange likes and is an opportunity to get below market value due to the contact situation, but it doesn't address the key needs in midfield.

I know people are saying we can fund it by selling Hojbjerg and LoCelso but if we sell both of those we need put that money towards a top level no 6 and a Maddison rotation option.

There are so many areas that need addressing the the squad we need to put our money to these first.

I dont agree with this notion that Gallager is a lesser player than our midfiielders. Ange wants goals & assist from his midfielders.

Goals scored in PL :
Bissouma -0
Skpp - 0
GLC-2
Hojbjerg-0
Bentancur - 1
Sarr-3

Bentancur has only played > 75 minutes in just 2 games. One of them against Sheffield in last game where they didnt bother us. Other was against United in January when our squad was decimated with injuries and we had a laughable bench.

So, Bentancur for me isnt old Bentancur and needs to recover his fitness.

Sarr is good in games against big teams when there is a lot of space to cover. Against team that is compact, his impact is less.

Bergvall ? let the boy come to us and play in PL and we will see.

Gallager & Ederson are the type of players who fit the bill for the no8 - relentless pressers and have creativity and finishing n their game,

 

[he is you know!]

Have we actually been linked to him recently? This is an awful lot of chatter and I may have missed something

yeah by a few journos and most recently Romano on a podcast/interview

Our own ITK have confirmed which is more reliable.

 

[funkycoldmedina]

This is it in a nutshell for me.

Lots of talk about 6 & 8 still, even after Ange has said he isn't particularly fussed by all that. I think there is a tendency amongst fans to see players as having a single set of attributes, or being able to fill a specific role in a team, whereas I bet a lot of players can adapt their game to suit a particular manager or style of play.

Perhaps it's just that Gallagher doesn't pass the eye test for a lot of people. I have a feeling that Ange is more impressed by his athleticism and attitude more than him being a finesse player or a destroyer or anything like that. I won't be upset if we don't sign him, but I get a feeling that if we do he will be one of those players who raises the game of their team mates.

Mane used to be that player for Liverpool, he was obviously a quality forward but he had an elite attitude and was a superb presser. Often his press early on in a game would set a tone that others would follow, fans would react accordingly and opposition would immediately feel under duress. Liverpool never managed to replace that and you can tell if you watch that team vs this one.

 

[WiganSpur]

I still think Gallagher with his energy will be a good addition. We need legs in midfield. Bissouma will be 28 with two years left on his contract and PEH needs to go.

I'd take Gallagher and a new number 6 to replace PEH and Bissouma providing we can get a reasonable price for him.