Tottenham remain interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.
Spurs were supposed to agree on the principles of a deal in August, but Chelsea backed out. The Blues have not found a replacement for the 23-year-old Gallagher and new manager Mauricio Pochettino has been impressed with his performances in the opening month of the season.
The England international has started every Premier League game this season, apart from a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United due to suspension. He has also captained the team ten times in the absence of injured pair Reece James and Ben Chilwell. Despite this, Chelsea could still sell Gallagher in January. This is because the centre-forward is in the last 18 months of his contract and the two parties have not yet agreed on a new deal.
According to Sky Sports News, Tottenham are aware of Gallagher’s situation and may decide to transfer in January. It is not clear exactly how much Chelsea will ask for the Under-17 World Cup winner, but they will not sell him cheap to a direct rival.
Gallagher’s hopes of joining Tottenham may depend on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s situation. The Danish international will have to leave Spurs to make room for Gallagher, although there are said to be plenty of candidates. Juventus are favourites to sign him.
Chelsea would find it difficult to lose a young player of Gallagher’s quality. He has been at the club for 15 years and has played 65 Championship games. Gallagher has made a name for himself after impressive loan spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace. England boss Gareth Southgate is a fan of Gallagher, having capped him 11 times so far.
But Tottenham’s priority in January is to sign a central defender because of a shortage of players. Micky van de Ven has a thigh muscle injury but will return next month, while Davinson Sanchez has not yet been replaced after his summer transfer to Galatasaray.
Ange Postecoglou is clearly not a fan of Eric Dier, as the central defender has only played two games this season. Both appearances ended in defeat. Postecoglou often resorts to playing centre-backs Emerson Roy and Ben Davies.
Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo is expected to be the No 1 target in January. The 23-year-old is reportedly available for around £35 million. Jarrad Branthwaite has also been rumoured, but Everton do not want to lose the 21-year-old. His value is estimated at £100 million.
Postecoglou told Sky Sports: “We let Davinson Sanchez go after the window closed. Somehow we knew we were taking a bit of a risk; we couldn’t get the extra centre-back we wanted to get and at the start of the year that was fine.
“But when we lost Micky and Eric Dier also had some problems, we don’t have another centre-back … but we have to get the right person again. It’s not just about bringing in another person, it’s about getting the right person, and hopefully that will happen.”