Tottenham are reportedly planning to rekindle their interest in Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer, if there is no resolution to his contract stand-off with the Blues.
The England international has entered the final 18 months of his deal at Stamford Bridge and was well known to have been Ange Postecoglou’s priority target to bolster his midfield in the January transfer window.
Chelsea are expected to come under huge pressure to sell if no agreement can be reached, although Gallagher made it very clear that he had no intention of moving midway through the season.
It is understood by TEAMtalk that the 24-year-old is still eager to continue on at Stamford Bridge, but the agreement must be suitable for him.
Mauricio Pochettino holds Gallagher in high regard as well, considering that Gallagher wore the captain’s armband this season while Reece James was sidelined by injury.
However, the Daily Telegraph reports that there has still been little progress in talks over fresh terms and that all parties are expected to get together in the coming months to try and resolve the issue.
But if Gallagher still refuses to put pen to paper then Chelsea remain open to a summer sale, as they look for parity in terms of FFP.
And, according to reports that emerged on Sunday, that scenario will see Tottenham actively push to bring in Gallagher again – especially if the £50million price tag the Blues demanded in the winter drops as Gallagher’s current contract runs down further.
Glaring midfield issues highlighted again in Wolves loss
Postecoglou wants Gallagher on board to play as his primary box-to-box midfielder and believes his high-energy style fits perfectly into how he wants his engine room to try and dictate games.
That was clearly missing again on Saturday as Wolves largely dominated that area of the park, with two-goal Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina getting the better of Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr, along with the multitude of options that then replaced them in the game.
Indeed, it can be argued that Spurs have not really had a central midfielder capable of dictating a game since Mousa Dembele left in 2019.
Bissouma and Sarr performed well as a tandem at the start of the season but injuries, suspensions and a spell away at the Africa Cup of Nations saw them start together for the first time in a while against Wolves and it showed as they were outworked and shown up by the visitors’ quick transition approach that worked to perfection.
Bissouma, in particular, was at fault twice for Wolves’ winner as he robbed of possession on the edge of their box from a Tottenham corner and was then passed by Gomes tracking back and did not even look over his shoulder to see if there was a threat inside him as the Brazilian swept home his second of the game.
For all their possession and territory, the intensity and energy levels were not good from Postecoglou’s men and that would normally come from midfield, where it clearly did from a Wolves perspective.
The problem is for Tottenham that they will have it all their own way even if Chelsea decide to sell, as Newcastle are also chasing the player.
And Gallagher could decide that moving to St James’ Park would be the lesser of two evils, given the bitter rivalry that exists between the two London clubs.
Tottenham now face a two-week break until their next game as they were due to face Chelsea next weekend but the Blues have a date with Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final instead.
