There was a moment in the 2023/24 campaign, not too long ago, that rival supporters anticipated Tottenham Hotspur's ostensible downfall under Ange Postecoglou, with a fast start halted by a stark decline in form.
Table-topping Tottenham had started life under Postecoglou's wing tremendously but were stumped when Chelsea won against the nine-men Lilywhites in November to kick off a five-match winless run, flinging them down the table and outside the top four.
But four victories from the past five Premier League matches have restored the feel-good factor and Spurs are now just one point behind fourth-placed neighbours Arsenal after 20 fixtures.
With a thin squad compounded by injuries and worsened further by the imminent departures of Heung-min Son, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr to the Asia Cup and African Cup of Nations, Postecoglou has requested January signings across multiple positions.
Spurs transfer news – Conor Gallagher
Before the January transfer window opened, 90min published a report highlighting the main areas of concern for Spurs this month, revealing that Chelsea's Conor Gallagher is the number one target to bolster the engine room.
With the Stamford Bridge side keen to continue investing after another poor campaign, Gallagher has reportedly been transfer-listed for £50m despite his impressive form.
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However, Football Transfers have recently revealed that Chelsea are considering raising their demands to an exorbitant £60m to conduct business with their London rivals, which would make a deal rather tricky.
Conor Gallagher's season in numbers
Gallagher played a key role for Chelsea during their abject 2022/23 season after a brilliant loan spell with Crystal Palace, but since the summer he has come alive and proved to be one of the most influential members of Mauricio Pochettino's squad.
This year, as per Sofascore, the 23-year-old has started 19 matches in the Premier League (missing one game due to suspension), registering four assists, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 1.3 key passes, 2.7 tackles and 6.8 ball recoveries per game while succeeding with 77% of his dribbles.
This highlights his all-encompassing nature in the centre of the park and the "relentless" energy – as has been said of his skill set by journalist Mike Stavrou – that has left teams such as Tottenham so eager to get their hands on him.
With Reece James spending the lion's share of the year out injured, Gallagher has also captained Chelsea 11 times, backing up past praise from Ashley Cole that he is a born “leader”, something that would only enhance Spurs' prospects.
Conor Gallagher's style of play
Still really only in the early phase of what could be a long and illustrious career in the Premier League, Gallagher is something of an all-round midfielder, with strengths across the park that make him effective in different phases, breaking up play, starting attacks and influencing key moments with his range of passing.
Defensive contribution
Finishing
Passing
Discipline
Key passes
Tackling
*Sourced via WhoScored
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 19% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and successful take-ons, the top 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area, the top 19% for tackles and the top 1% for blocks per 90.
Such metrics highlight the very point that he offers the box-to-box skills to comfortably slot into any system, with his industrious approach and intelligence leaving many Chelsea supporters perplexed as to why the club hierarchy wishes to cash in on him.
But it is this very assortment of qualities that has won Postecoglou over, with Spurs actually failing with a £40m offer on deadline day in the summer, evidently still enticed by his availability.
How Conor Gallagher compares to Rodrigo Bentancur
While this is all well and good, the question as to whether Spurs can afford to part with £60m (Chelsea's asking price) at the season's midpoint remains to be seen, especially given that the club are prioritising the strengthening of the defence.
#
Player
Club
1
Rodrigo Bentancur
Tottenham Hotspur
2
Guido Rodriguez
Real Betis
3
Boubacar Kamara
Aston Villa
4
Lucas Paqueta
West Ham United
5
Sandro Tonali
Newcastle United
Further, Gallagher offers noticeable similarities to Rodrigo Bentancur, who is an excellent centre-midfielder and appears to be finally returning to fitness after spending most of 2023 caught up in injury problems that have limited him to a smattering of appearances.
Bentancur, aged 26, scored five goals and provided 18 assists last term before suffering an ACL injury in February 2023, with the £75k-per-week ace returning in October before picking up an ankle knock which ruled him out until the victory over Bournemouth on New Year's Eve.
Described as a "Rolls-Royce" by football writer Tom Robinson, he ranks among the top 10% of midfielders in Europe for goals, the top 16% for tackles, the top 4% for blocks and the top 6% for clearances per 90, showcasing his effectiveness across both areas of the field.
It would be unfair to draw comparisons between the respective players this season given the Uruguayan's limited match action, but he played 18 times in the English top-flight during 2022/23, and with Gallagher amassing 19 appearances since the summer, information can be more accurately collated.
Stat (per 90)
Gallagher
Bentancur
Goals
0.00
0.30
Assists
0.23
0.12
Shots
1.24
0.90
Shots on target %
41%
60%
Pass completion %
89%
84%
Shot-creating actions
3.22
2.04
Progressive passes
5.82
4.55
Progressive carries
1.98
1.56
Tackles
2.94
2.69
Blocks
1.64
1.68
Interceptions
1.53
1.20
The table evidences that Gallagher is currently performing at the higher level, and while Bentancur might click into gear with a rejuvenated, Postecoglou-led Spurs side, it would be foolish to abandon the pursuit of the Blues star purely because parallels can be drawn stylistically.
Of course, the price tag is the stumbling block and Daniel Levy and Spurs technical director Johan Lange will have a tough task in whittling the £60m demands down, but should an affordable valuation be discovered, then Spurs must push ahead.