Roberto De Zerbi was not the one who signed Conor Gallagher for 40 million pounds from Atletico Madrid last winter transfer window - that would have been Thomas Frank, who pretty much demanded the player for his veteran presence - but the Italian manager has been equally happy to have the England international at Tottenham Hotspur in a key role.
While Gallagher helped Spurs get out of the relegation zone with some solid performances as a pressing No. 10 or box to box No. 8 under De Zerbi, he was horrendous before that and has already started the 2026/27 Premier League season just as poorly as he played before De Zerbi's arrival in the spring.
Gallagher was completely run over by Brentford, and he was so woeful in the No. 10 role that many Tottenham fans figured the club would finally stop playing him there going forward. But with James Maddison injured, the new No. 10 is Mateus Fernandes, who should be playing deeper every week for his own development.
Conor Gallagher just doesn't fit what Tottenham want to be
Almost inexplicably, De Zerbi actually decided to pass over Fernandes as a starter against Nottingham Forest, perhaps, quietly, because he was worried the goons in the oppoisition side would chop down and injure their precious Redwood defensive midfielder.
So Conor Gallagher drew the start against Forest, and he actually played respectably in the 0-0 draw. He did his usual stuff, pressing, harrying, recovering the ball, and generally doing a good job of not giving it up. But a big reason why Tottenham Hotspur failed to score and dropped more points was because they totally lacked creativity in turning possession into chances for the front three, as Rodrigo Bentancur had more creative output than Gallagher in an attacking midfield role.
Though the performance was an improvement from the former Chelsea and Crystal Palace man, it was also a sobering reminder to the Tottenham faithful - and hopefully to Roberto De Zerbi himself - that the veteran midfielder is no playmaker.
Even when he plays his best for Tottenham, including in the relegation battle last year, he does not look like a player who is good enough to get significant minutes for a team that wants to be in the top five. And looking at Pape Matar Sarr's best displays for Tottenham last season, you have to feel like signing Gallagher only to lose Sarr a season later was a net downgrade.
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