The Times: Gallagher's physical strength is what Tottenham lack

On January 15 local time, The Times described Gallagher’s £35 million move to Tottenham as an “opportunistic signing,” primarily aimed at addressing the squad’s lack of midfield depth. 

Frank currently faces a shortage of midfielders, and Gallagher offers immediate availability while bringing experience, leadership, energy, and goal-scoring ability to the team. He has repeatedly demonstrated his value in past Premier League and La Liga seasons and excels in high-intensity pressing and physical duels. Although he may not be suited to serve as the team’s central playmaker, he can significantly enhance midfield competitiveness and help narrow the gap between Tottenham and the league’s elite clubs.

Below is The Times’ analysis:

If Postecoglou had gotten his way, Gallagher would now be entering his second season with Tottenham Hotspur. Instead, he joined midway through Thomas Frank’s turbulent six-month tenure as an emergency reinforcement to fill a long-standing void in the team’s midfield.

Ultimately, this is an “opportunistic signing.” Tottenham had not originally planned to pursue the 25-year-old midfielder during the January transfer window, and even club insiders were surprised by Spurs’ sudden intervention on Monday to hijack Aston Villa’s offer. Gallagher completed his medical on Tuesday and was officially announced as a £35 million signing on Wednesday.

This transfer is fundamentally driven by practical necessity. Frank currently has only two experienced central midfielders available—Palhinha and Archie Gray. Bentancur is sidelined for three months due to a hamstring injury, Lucas Bergvall is troubled by a groin issue, and Pape Sarr remains away with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Against this backdrop, Gallagher represents a “plug-and-play” option for Frank and could even start directly in Saturday’s match against West Ham United, despite having started only twice for Atlético Madrid in the past month.

Gallagher has long been a target for Tottenham, with the club seriously considering his acquisition in at least two previous transfer windows—once in summer 2024 while he was still at Chelsea, though salary demands proved a barrier; and again last summer after Frank took charge. Frank himself strongly supported the deal and even personally called Gallagher to persuade him to choose Tottenham and more consistent playing time over Villa.

To some extent, this also reflects Tottenham’s trajectory over the past two years: the midfield gap identified by Postecoglou 18 months ago is precisely the role Frank now hopes Gallagher will fill. Beyond simply adding depth at a critical moment, Gallagher brings experience, leadership, energy, and goals—qualities currently lacking in the squad.

The latter point is especially significant given Tottenham’s severe lack of goal-scoring this season. After Richarlison, the club’s top Premier League scorers are Palhinha, Van de Ven, and Tel—all with just three goals each. Brennan Johnson, who led the team with 11 goals last season, has already been sold to Crystal Palace.

If allowed to make more frequent runs into the box, Gallagher is fully capable of making a tangible offensive contribution. For example, in the 2021–22 season, he scored eight goals for Crystal Palace—a tally that would have ranked third at Tottenham that year, behind only Son Heung-min and Harry Kane. In the 2023–24 season, his final campaign at Chelsea, he netted seven goals, which would have placed him fourth at Spurs, trailing only Son, Richarlison, and Kulusevski.

He can also elevate his teammates. Critics who claim Gallagher lacks technical finesse might be surprised to learn that in his final Premier League season with Chelsea, he ranked sixth among midfielders in assists and tenth in chances created.

However, Gallagher cannot solve Tottenham’s urgent need for a “midfield connector”—a metronomic player who can complement the defensively oriented Palhinha and orchestrate attacks from deep. The club clearly recognizes the need for a more creative deep-lying distributor, but whether such a crucial signing can be completed in January or must wait until the summer remains uncertain. Premier League ideal targets like Adam Wharton are highly unlikely to leave mid-season.

Deploying Gallagher in a deeper role carries risks, as it may force him into areas where his technical limitations are more exposed—such as receiving under pressure in tight spaces and progressing the ball forward. It could also restrict his ability to showcase his strengths in more advanced zones. So, in the long term, what role will he occupy in Frank’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system? Might Frank boldly switch to a 4-3-3, using Palhinha as a lone pivot with Gallagher and Xavi Simons ahead of him?

At Atlético Madrid, Gallagher also struggled with positional clarity. In Simeone’s more 4-4-2-oriented setup, there were superior deep-lying distributors centrally, faster wingers out wide, and more direct runners behind the strikers. Gallagher’s relentless work ethic always won over Atlético fans—they affectionately nicknamed him the “English Bulldog” and enjoyed watching him sing Ed Sheeran songs at club talent shows—but he never secured a clearly defined starting spot in Simeone’s lineup.

Nevertheless, no one regrets Gallagher’s stint in Spain. He impressed in the first half of his debut season, scoring twice in his first five league matches. His 27-second goal against Real Madrid in the March Champions League round of 16 sent the Metropolitano Stadium into a frenzy. However, this season he has started only four La Liga matches, and the €9 million-a-year man has gradually become an expensive bench option.

In fact, Atlético was initially willing to loan him to Villa, and readily accepted Tottenham’s €40 million offer—the same price they paid to sign him from Chelsea in 2024. This highlights the financial disparity between La Liga and the Premier League: from Tottenham’s perspective, spending £35 million on a 25-year-old English midfielder who has already proven himself in the Premier League represents excellent value.

During his time at Chelsea, Pochettino greatly admired Gallagher’s pressing ability and noted that he consistently ranked among the league leaders in fundamental metrics like high-intensity sprints and total distance covered. These traits will undoubtedly appeal to Frank, who views Tottenham’s weakness in physical duels as one of the team’s most glaring vulnerabilities.

In Gallagher’s most recent Premier League season, only Ødegaard recovered possession more often in the opponent’s half; in terms of successful duels, Gallagher ranked fourth in the league. Palhinha ranked second, meaning Frank now possesses two of the Premier League’s best “duel specialists” in midfield.

In terms of character, Gallagher is the kind of fully committed, emotionally expressive, and passionate player fans naturally gravitate toward—and exactly the type Frank urgently needs in the dressing room. Pochettino frequently named him captain at Chelsea, and club staff have consistently praised his character both on and off the pitch—he never shies away during tough moments.

A frequently overlooked detail: in a match against Everton, when Jackson and Madueke argued over who should take a penalty, it was Gallagher who stepped in to defuse the situation and handed the ball to Palmer. While he may not be a guaranteed starter for a title-chasing side, Gallagher can absolutely help a team like Tottenham close the gap with the league’s elite.