Conor Gallagher faces awkward reunion with Tottenham star after angry bust-up

Conor Gallagher may have some bridge-building to do with one of his new Spurs team-mates following a flare-up during his Chelsea days

Conor Gallagher and Yves Bissouma are set for an awkward reunion at Tottenham following a fiery bust-up between the pair.

Spurs are closing in on signing the former Chelsea star from Atletico Madrid for a fee of around £35million. Gallagher's anticipated arrival will be a major boost for Tottenham and under-fire head coach Thomas Frank, especially with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur set for hamstring surgery.

However, the midfielder may have some bridge-building to do with one of his new team-mates in Bissouma after the pair clashed during Gallagher's time at Chelsea. Following the Blues' 4-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2023, which saw Spurs end the match with nine men after Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were dismissed, Gallagher and Bissouma had to be pulled apart.

At full-time, Gallagher looked to catch the hand of Bissouma, who appeared to ignore the gesture. Gallagher still put his hand towards Bissouma's arm, which the Mali star did not take too kindly to, and the pair squared up to each other.

Marc Cucurella and Oliver Skipp were quickly on the scene to come between the pair before Levi Colwill guided Gallagher away. Gallagher and Bissouma will probably laugh about the incident now, if it even comes up at all.

Gallagher will be more focused on kick-starting his career after a mixed spell in Spain. The former Crystal Palace loanee has made 77 appearances for Atletico during the past 18 months and scored seven times, but never fully nailed down a starting berth in Diego Simeone’s side.

Spurs were already eager to boost their squad this month before multiple players were struck down by serious injuries and they have moved quickly for Gallagher, who has been on their radar for a few years.

After Spurs missed out on him in the summer of 2024, they look set to swoop in for the 25-year-old from under the noses of Aston Villa.

Gallagher's arrival will offset the blow of losing Bentancur, who was forced off during the latter stages of the 3-2 loss at Bournemouth. Bentancur is set to be sidelined for at least three months after surgery was decided as the best course of action.

The absence of Bentancur alongside Lucas Bergvall against Villa in the FA Cup on Saturday meant Frank had no recognised midfielder on the bench, with Pape Sarr and Bissouma unavailable due their Africa Cup of Nations commitments.

However, if Spurs can complete the signing of Gallagher, it will be a welcome lift at a time when fan group Change for Tottenham have a protest planned before Saturday's visit of West Ham.