Spurs in talks to sign £50m Werner partner who would supercharge Maddison

Over the past several weeks it’s been clear that Tottenham Hotspur would be active in the January transfer window, with Ange Postecoglou‘s exciting project fractured only by injuries and absences to key players over the past few months.

Fifth-place in the Premier League after 20 matches and through to the FA Cup fourth round after a hard-fought victory over Burnley last time out, Spurs are restored this season after several turbulent years.

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Harry Kane’s sale in August could have been detrimental when Postecoglou’s project was in its infancy, but the Australian’s diligent work in the transfer market succeeded in restoring the verve.

It had been understood that Tottenham’s priority in the transfer market this month has been to sign a central defender, and while this may be the case, reinforcements are being targetted across the pitch.

Spurs transfer news – Conor Gallagher

According to a recent report from Football Insider, Tottenham are in talks with Chelsea to sign midfielder Conor Gallagher this month, with a figure of around £50m probably enough to convince the Blues to part ways with their homegrown talent.

This follows reports from the end of December suggesting that the England international is the club’s main target in central midfield, with chairman Daniel Levy eager to exploit Chelsea’s need to recuperate funds.

Spurs offered £40m on deadline day last summer to sign Gallagher but were rebuffed by their rivals, though this lasting interest could work in their favour and convince the 23-year-old to make the move.

Conor Gallagher’s style of play

Gallagher has been one of Chelsea’s brightest lights this season but the Blues supporters could see him depart to improving rivals in Tottenham as the owners look to balance the books ahead of supposed lucrative spending.

The Athletic’s Mike Stavrou is among the biggest admirers of the Stamford Bridge star, remarking last season at his bouncing presence in the middle of the pitch.

The journalist said: “Conor Gallagher was absolutely relentless with his pressing and energy tonight. Some player Chelsea have got.”

As per FBref, Gallagher ranks among the top 20% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries, the top 19% for successful take-ons, the top 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area, the top 17% for tackles and the top 1% for blocks per 90.

Given that Spurs are closing in on the signing of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig on a six-month loan (with an option to buy in the summer), it might be wise to augment the midfield ranks with a player such as Gallagher.

Werner is nimble and eletric in his movements but is, candidly, probably not the best finisher in Europe, with talkSPORT’s Tony Cascarino remarking that he “couldn’t buy a goal” during his time with Chelsea, where, albeit, he won the Champions League.

That said, he will be a menace in forward phases and could even prove to be a real success with Gallagher boosting his progress from behind.

The £50k-per-week gem, who received high praise for one “monster” showing for Chelsea “with and without the ball” by a football content creator, completed 45 appearances across all competitions last season, and while he struggled in instances, he has bloomed and looks most formidable indeed this term.

Conor Gallagher’s season in numbers

Gallagher was indeed a mainstay in the Chelsea team last season but he failed to showcase his best attributes as the west London side sank to new lows and finished 12th in the Premier League.

But while the current campaign has been similarly challenging, Gallagher has shone, producing commanding performances and impressing with his output and energy in the engine room, having even captained the squad on 13 occasions, with Reece James sidelined.

As per Sofascore, the 5 foot 11 ace has supplied four assists for his teammates across 19 outings in the league, completing 91% of his passes, succeeding with 77% of his dribbles, 54% of his duels and averaging 1.3 key passes, 2.7 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 6.8 ball recoveries per game.

Described as a “leader” by former Chelsea phenom Ashley Cole, he would be a credit to Tottenham’s team and could cement his stature as one of the Premier League’s most enterprising centre-midfielders within Postecoglou’s system.

One can only imagine the potential partnership that could be forged with his countryman, James Maddison, who is comfortably one of English football’s finest playmakers.

Imagine Conor Gallagher & James Maddison

Spurs signed Maddison from Leicester City for £40m in June after the Foxes fell into the second tier, with even the creative midfielder’s prowess not enough to combat the club’s leaky defence.

While the 26-year-old has been sidelined for nearly two months with an ankle injury, he remains one of the division’s best performers this season and will have a marked impact on the success of the latter phase of the campaign.

As the graph shows above, Maddison is incredibly effective in supplementing teammates and is willing to chip in defensive too, and with Gallagher alongside him this would only prove to bring Spurs closer to their goal: returning to European competition and chasing down silverware.

Not only would Gallagher provide Maddison with greater security to wreak havoc in and around the final third but he would also be able to utilise his creativity to increase and enrich the dynamism in this already fluid Spurs side, a trait that should also help to get the best out of Werner in the frontline.

Signing a player from Chelsea is not an easy task for a side such as Tottenham, but an opportunity to do just that has materialised and Postecoglou must take advantage.