Roberto De Zerbi will set Conor Gallagher the challenge of recapturing his prime Chelsea form to help Tottenham clear of relegation.
Gallagher’s career has lost its way since he left Stamford Bridge two years ago and his £55million move to Spurs from Atletico Madrid in January has not gone to plan for either the club or the England midfielder.
The 26-year-old hoped his return to London would enhance his World Cup ambitions but arrived with Spurs descending deeper into crisis, made little impact in his early appearances and was dropped by interim boss Igor Tudor.
His last England appearance was in June when he collected his 22nd cap in a defeat in a friendly against Senegal.
‘For Gallagher it has not been easy,’ said new boss De Zerbi, who made it a priority to restore the battered morale of the squad he inherited from Tudor.
‘He left Chelsea after I don’t know how many seasons, went to Atletico Madrid, and now in Tottenham, in this moment for Tottenham.
‘He was a leader in Chelsea, and now he has to adapt to a new club, to new teammates, to a new stadium, to a new everything. I have to help him to put as a target the Gallagher he was at Chelsea.’
Conor Gallagher is yet to find his best form since joining from Atletico Madrid in January
De Zerbi was in charge at Brighton when they tried and failed to sign Gallagher from Chelsea in the summer of 2023.
They had sold midfielders Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister and he was seen as a good fit for the high-energy style De Zerbi will now try to impose on Spurs.
The 46-year-old Italian believes there are players already in the squad to fit his style of play.
They include Gallagher and others such as Xavi Simons, another £55m investment, who signed from Leipzig in August but has rarely been played to his strengths under Thomas Frank or Tudor.
‘The DNA of these players, of this club, is to keep the ball and to try to score,’ said De Zerbi ahead of his first game as Spurs boss, at Sunderland, tomorrow.
Spurs, plunged into the relegation zone by West Ham’s win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday, are still leading race for Liverpool left back Andy Robertson who has confirmed he will leave Anfield when his contract expires at the end of the season.
They were close to signing 32-year-old Robertson in January when Frank was Spurs boss and keen to add experience and leadership to the dressing room.
The deal fell through because Liverpool suffered injuries and were unable to find replacements.
