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Tottenham Hotspur prised Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth nearly £35m, arriving as Thomas Frank's first signing of the January transfer window
James Maddison has already told Thomas Frank what to expect from Conor Gallagher. The Tottenham Hotspur boss could give the former Atletico Madrid midfielder his debut when the Lilywhites lock horns with West Ham this weekend.
Frank will only have a couple of days to work with Gallagher on the training pitches at Hotspur Way before hosting the Hammers on Saturday afternoon. While the Dane may be reluctant to throw the England international into the deep end and start him, he may have no choice.
Lucas Bergvall suffered a knock during Tottenham's defeat to Bournemouth last week, and he was forced to come off. Frank claimed that the 19-year-old midfielder would be assessed ahead of the FA Cup clash against Aston Villa, but he didn't even make the squad.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo Bentancur looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The 28-year-old midfielder recently underwent surgery on a hamstring injury, which he sustained at the Vitality Stadium, and will soon begin a rehabilitation programme.
And, of course, Maddison remains unavailable for selection as he continues to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury. So, with a few big names out of action, Gallagher could very well play a key role this weekend.
Looking back at previous comments by former Leicester City ace, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. During an appearance in the official England YouTube channel, Maddison heaped praise on Gallagher.
"He’s a good all-rounder. He’s quite physical, he’s good, decent pace, decent dribbling," said the Spurs midfielder. Singing from the same hymn sheet, Jude Bellingham added: "So all-round isn't he, so all-round."
Micky van de Ven and Xavi Simons were delighted to welcome Gallagher to Spurs. The duo both 'liked' the club's post on Instagram, announcing the former Chelsea ace's arrival.
Guglielmo Vicario was also one of just over a million people that liked an update on the transfer saga on Instagram.
Upon signing a five-and-a-half-year deal at Tottenham, Gallagher claimed that he's ready to get stuck in. He said: "I'm so happy and excited to be here, taking the next step in my career at an amazing club.
"I wanted to be a Spurs player and thankfully the Club felt the same. It was very easy, it happened very quickly and I'm ready to get on the pitch. I know how great the fans are, I’m really happy to be a part of it here and want to create special moments and memories together."
Meanwhile, Frank said: "Conor is a top midfielder, who we have worked tirelessly to add to our squad. He is still young, so has plenty of room for improvement, but also has huge experience across the Premier League, La Liga and with the England national team.
"Conor has captained teams so will bring leadership, maturity, character and personality to our dressing room, while his running power, pressing ability and eye for goal will strengthen us in a key area of the pitch.
"I’m excited about working with him every day and I know the fans will love what he will bring to the team."
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