Tottenham Hotspur have completed a €40 million (£34.6m) move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher. But it’s hardly a deal that gets fans off their seats.
It’s one of those signings that makes Tottenham look busy in the transfer market without really addressing any of their glaring issues.
Gallagher is a decent midfielder who is energetic and rarely gets injured. But there isn’t any distinctive quality that makes him an instant upgrade on what Tottenham already have available.
Bringing him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is more of a sideways move rather than an audacious transfer that the club needs to pull them out of their rot.
In fairness, Tottenham need bodies in the middle of the park.
Joao Palhinha and Archie Gray the only senior options available to Thomas Frank at the moment, particularly with Yves Bissouma all but banished from the squad.
Pape Matar Sarr jetted off to the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, while Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur are sidelined with muscle and hamstring injuries, respectively.
As midfield options became thin, Tottenham moved quickly to snatch Gallagher from Aston Villa.
Spurs were interested in the former Chelsea ace before his move to Atletico and have finally landed the England international. But he’s not the answer to their problems.
Tottenham’s midfield is crying out for a deep-lying midfielder – a tempo-controlling orchestrator who can pull the strings from the middle of the park.
They could also do with a ball progressor – someone who can connect the midfield and attack seamlessly. Gallagher doesn’t check any of those boxes.
Tottenham’s build-up under Frank has been lethargic and predictable as they rarely attempt through balls. That makes life harder for their attackers, who are left feeding off scraps.
Gallagher is not the profile of a midfielder they need. The ex-Chelsea ace thrives in chaos, not control. He presses high and makes late runs, but doesn’t dictate games.
Tottenham’s midfield is dominated by players who treat the ball like a hot potato. They have no structure and are bereft of ideas in possession, resulting in several frustrating sideways passes.
Gallagher will help Spurs in the short term, but he doesn’t move the needle. Fortunately for Spurs, there’s still plenty of time to address the elephant in the room.