Tottenham Hotspur will have this weekend off as they fight to bounce back from the chastening 4-0 defeat against Newcastle United at St. James' Park one week ago.
While a chance to recalibrate and let the cascade of action pass them by this matchweek might prove to be a good thing, next up in the Premier League are title-chasing Arsenal, whose need for three points is heightened further after losing against Aston Villa last time out.
Spurs, who are fifth in the Premier League and currently perch three points behind Aston Villa in the top four – who have played an extra fixture – have undoubtedly improved under Ange Postecoglou but need to sign some impactful players in the summer.
One of the biggest problems right now is the lack of mettle and control in central midfield, and while Tottenham have a range of good options in the centre of the park, another injection of high-level quality could be the order of the day.
Spurs back in for former top target
According to Football Insider, Tottenham are in hot pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher once again with the Blues willing to sell their homegrown product to stay in line with financial fair play regulations.
Gallagher was the subject of a failed approach from Spurs last summer and again during the winter market, and despite the England international's prominent position within the Chelsea first-team, he could be available for just £40m.
Entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge next season, Gallagher's sale does make sense from the Chelsea board's standpoint, and Tottenham would only be too happy to take their long-time target off their London rivals' hands.
Conor Gallagher's season in numbers
Gallagher is a product of the infamous Cobham Academy and after successful loan spells with West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, he has cemented himself as a regular starting presence in the Chelsea team.
This season, Gallagher has played 43 times in all competitions, scoring five goals and supplying eight assists, regularly captaining his west London side in the Premier League.
Sofascore presents Gallagher's seasonal heat map in the Premier League and showcases the elite robustness and athleticism that surely speak of his perfect suitability for Tottenham's system.
Across 30 appearances in the top-flight this term, the £50k-per-week ace has clinched nine goal contributions, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 1.6 key passes, 2.4 tackles, 6.2 ball recoveries and 5.8 successful duels per match and succeeding with 70% of his dribbles.
His ball-playing, ball-carrying, far-reaching skill set has established him in a Chelsea side that has struggled to impress once again this season, currently ninth in the Premier League.
But Chelsea's unrelenting financial approach under Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali has yet to breed success. That said, the Blues will forge ahead with big-money acquisitions this summer and Gallagher has been deemed expendable as a result.
But how would he slot into Postecoglou's Tottenham team?
How Conor Gallagher would fit in at Spurs
With Yves Bissouma flattering to deceive in the holding midfield role of late, Postecoglou may well seek to sign a new No. 6 this summer, but while Gallagher is competent in such a position, he would not be the solution in that regard.
That doesn't mean that he shouldn't be signed, however, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg likely headed for the exit, having recently been offered to Serie A side AC Milan, and sporadically-used Giovani Lo Celso also pushing for a departure this summer.
Gallagher's tactical versatility would make him a great addition to compensate for both sales, providing Postecoglou with a better-fitting star who can actually push for a regular role from the starting whistle.
As per FBref, Gallagher ranks among the top 25% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals and shot-creating actions, the top 17% for assists, the top 13% for pass completion, the top 20% for tackles and the top 12% for touches in the attacking box per 90.
An all-action stud of a centre-midfielder, Gallagher boasts the dynamism and the depth to succeed at the heart of Postecoglou's Tottenham system, with his multi-functioning ability leading one analyst to describe him as a "pressing and transition monster."
He's also been regarded as something of a "dynamo" and his team's "heartbeat" by journalist Henry Winter, and he might just be the perfect signing to lift James Maddison back to the height of his game.
Gallagher's fellow Three Lions star signed for Tottenham from Leicester City in a £40m deal last summer and won the Premier League's Player of the Month award for August, very much off to a flyer.
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But he's struggled to perform to the same blistering levels that preceded his ankle injury suffered against Chelsea in November, picking up a 4/10 match rating – by football.london's Alasdair Gold – during last week's drubbing by Newcastle, with the reporter remarking that he tried to make things happen but ultimately failed to spark the needed creativity.
Maddison is still an elite playmaker though and ranks among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 1% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes and the top 6% for passes attempted per 90.
With a steely and energetic player in Gallagher doing the dirty work in the centre of the park, Maddison could hit the rich vein of form that captivated the masses in the earlier stages of the campaign.
Postecoglou's Tottenham system is built on hard graft and seamless interchangeability, and by landing a proven Premier League phenom such as Gallagher, the ripple effect might just be a thing to behold, with Maddison rekindling the elite-level class that is very much within his capability.
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