Conor Gallagher hailed as ‘leader’ after completing £35m Tottenham move

Tottenham have completed the signing of England midfielder Conor Gallagher .

Gallagher has joined Spurs from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth in the region of 40m euros (£34.7m) and signed a contract until summer 2031.

Aston Villa had initially led the race for Gallagher, who is keen for more playing time ahead of this summer's World Cup, but Tottenham were able to convince the former Chelsea academy graduate to return to London.

"I'm so happy and excited to be here, taking the next step in my career at an amazing club," Gallagher told the Spurs website.

"I wanted to be a Spurs player and thankfully the club felt the same. It was very easy, it happened very quickly and I'm ready to get on the pitch.

"I know how great the fans are, I'm really happy to be a part of it here and want to create special moments and memories together."

Gallagher's arrival, the first signing of the post-Daniel Levy era, represents a major coup for Spurs at a time when fan discontent is on the rise.

Levy was invited to step down from his role as chairman in September by the Lewis family trust, which runs Tottenham's majority shareholder ENIC.

Sources close to the Lewis family told PA at the time the move was designed to help Spurs achieve "more wins, more often", but head coach Thomas Frank has faced heightened scrutiny following a run of five victories in 20 matches, including seven defeats in 13.

Despite being only seven months and 31 games into the job, pressure has mounted on Frank, who has been booed in recent fixtures, but the addition of Gallagher is a welcome boost.

Frank added: "Conor is a top midfielder, who we have worked tirelessly to add to our squad.

"He is still young, so has plenty of room for improvement, but also has huge experience across the Premier League, LaLiga and with the England national team.

"Conor has captained teams so will bring leadership, maturity, character and personality to our dressing room, while his running power, pressing ability and eye for goal will strengthen us in a key area of the pitch.

"I'm excited about working with him every day and I know the fans will love what he will bring to the team."

Gallagher, who scored 10 goals in 95 appearances for Chelsea, has been on Spurs' radar for a long time, but they missed out when he joined Atletico in 2024.

While he played 77 times during his 18 months in Spain, he never fully nailed down a starting berth under Diego Simeone.

The 25-year-old will hope a return to the Premier League can help him catch the eye of England boss Thomas Tuchel , who last selected the all-action midfielder in June.

Midfield is also an area where Tottenham are short of options. Rodrigo Bentancur required surgery on a hamstring injury on Tuesday, while Lucas Bergvall is also currently sidelined and Pape Sarr is at the Africa Cup of Nations.

PA