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Conor Gallagher wants to write his name in the Tottenham Hotspur history books
Conor Gallagher will wear the number 22 shirt for Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites signed the former Chelsea ace from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth £34.7million (€40million), arriving as Thomas Frank's first signing of the January transfer window.
On Sunday, football.london reported that Tottenham had entered the race to sign Gallagher. Spurs stepped up their search for a new midfielder after it was confirmed that Rodrigo Bentancur would miss the remainder of the season due to injury.
The Lilywhites managed to fend off strong interest from Aston Villa, who wanted to sign the England international on loan with an option to buy. Unai Emery's side never struck a formal agreement with the Spanish giants, rolling out the red carpet for Tottenham to wrap up a deal.
Gallagher, who's signed a five-and-a-half year contract, had attracted interest from elsewhere, but they too were reluctant to fork out a lump sum this month. football.london understands that Spurs' willingness to buy the Englishman outright was key to edging their rivals in the race.
He could make his debut this weekend when the Lilywhites lock horns with West Ham. Gallagher will wear the number 22 shirt, previously worn by Brennan Johnson, who left Tottenham to join Crystal Palace earlier this month.
The 24-year-old forward etched his name, and the jersey, into the club's history book last season, scoring the only goal in Spurs' win over Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final. The number 22 shirt was also previously donned by Robbie Keane (2002/03).
Nacer Chadli (2014/15 to 2015/16), Gylfi Sigurdsson (2012/13 to 13/14), Vedran Corluka (2008/09 to 11/12), and Tom Huddlestone (2005/06 to 07/08) had memorable moments in the jersey too.
Gallagher wants to write his name in the history books. In an interview with club media, 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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