Conor Gallagher isn't the most popular player on the Tottenham Hotspur squad, and if some club in European football offered them exactly the 40 million euros they spent - more like overpaid - on him from Atletico Madrid this past winter transfer window, then the average Spurs fan would gladly take that deal.
But as it stands, Gallagher is going nowhere, and, in truth, his presence has become a lot more tolerable after Roberto De Zerbi coaxed a strong end to the 2025/26 Premier League season out of the former Crystal Palace and Chelsea man.
Not only did Gallagher play well for Tottenham when it mattered most during the relegation battle, but he truly does have a great attitude and never complains about his role or his minutes. He is a good example for young players, and Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham were right that Spurs do need these sorts of veterans - even De Zerbi agrees.
Conor Gallagher No. 10's loading screen is on
To that end, Conor Gallagher spoke a bit about what role he prefers in the Tottenham Hotspur midfield going into the 2026/27 Premier League campaign, and he did say that he will play anywhere and do whatever it takes to help the team. And that's because he's Good Guy Gallagher.
But everyone has a preference, and Gallagher admitted what Spurs fans already suspected; he prefers to be the No. 10. He explained to reporters before his reunion against Chelsea in a preseason friendly, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "To be honest, I'm happy to play anywhere the manager wants to play me. The 10 or number 8 in the double pivot, it's fine. I enjoy playing anywhere in midfield. I've found myself in the 10 more often. It's nice to run forward and I can do what I do best and press well and try and lead from the front. I don't really mind."
So yeah, Gallagher really likes playing in that role behind the forwards where he can press, run, and focus on attacking actions in addition to winning the ball, rather than staying back, disciplined, and reading the game as a holding midfielder or even being more of a No. 8 in that Roberto De Zerbi double pivot.
And the thing is, he is going to be playing as a 10 more than Tottenham fans would like. Tottenham supporters want to see as much of Xavi Simons and James Maddison behind the strikers, particularly the latter with Simons out due to a torn ACL - and they have missed Madders after he did his own ACL in 2025.
The thing is, Maddison hasn't played a full 90 in ages, and Gallagher was getting a lot of No. 10 starts at the end of the 2025/26 season. De Zerbi is going to use him quite a bit there, and Tottenham fans are going to have to begrudgingly get used to that and hope he plays more like he did at Crystal Palace than he did at Chelsea or Atletico Madrid.
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