Conor Gallagher joined Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window after a lukewarm spell with Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
The England international is no stranger to the Premier League, having already represented the likes of Chelsea, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in the top-flight.
Tottenham bolstered their squad with the addition of Gallagher and Souza in January to ease their injury woes.
However, their arrivals haven’t resulted in the uptick of form that was expected, as they currently find themselves 16th in the Premier League table, just four points above the relegation zone.
A report from The Guardian confirmed that Gallagher is Tottenham’s highest-paid player, earning around £200,000-per-week.
And naturally, that goes the fans talking, with some speculating that his potential arrival could be linked with Mauricio Pochettino’s return to Tottenham.
The Gallagher-Pochettino link
Gallagher was Pochettino’s stand-in captain at Chelsea, with the England international regularly deputising for Reece James and Ben Chilwell during the 2023-24 campaign.
The midfielder made 50 appearances in all competitions that season and was one of the Argentine’s most trusted players, eventually earning a move to Atletico Madrid.
In recent weeks, Pochettino has been linked with a return to Tottenham as they remain on the lookout for a permanent manager to succeed Igor Tudor.
And now, Spurs fans online have seemingly joined one and two to claim that Gallagher’s arrival for top dollar could have been made to reunite him with Pochettino in the summer.
One fan wrote, “Gallagher just isn’t worth £200k when he’s going to be a bench player in 12 months,” to which the same account responded, “If Poch comes in he will not be a bench player. Was his captain at Chelsea.”
Could they reunite at Tottenham?
Gallagher and Pochettino clearly enjoyed working together at Stamford Bridge. However, at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, Pochettino was sacked by the Blues, while they also began talks with Atletico to facilitate Gallagher’s transfer.
Speaking in 2024, Gallagher lauded the former Chelsea boss for the impact he had in his career. He said via Sky Sports: “I’ve come a long way this season. I give a lot of credit to Pochettino and what he’s done for me.
“He gave me a responsibility and trust at Chelsea. It puts me in a better position to be a bigger part of the [England] squad at this tournament.
“He just showed his belief and trust in me, which is all a player wants, to be honest. If a manager shows you a bit of love, it makes you play better—long story short. It gives you confidence, and that’s what he gave me.”
They’ve gone their separate ways since, but could well be reunited at the end of the season.
Pochettino remains one of the favourites to take the Tottenham job, although he is currently with the USA national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
We have to wait and see what happens, but Tottenham fans on social media are clearly letting their creative juices flow to understand exactly why they decided to break their wage structure for Gallagher, of all players.
