Given the club’s current languid 14th place in the Premier League table, it is vital that Tottenham Hotspur make key additions to help Thomas Frank aim to succeed in the role.
The Dane has only won 35% of his games in all competitions so far, but there is no doubt that this played a big role in the Lilywhites’ disastrous season in the English top flight.
Injuries are no doubt a factor, with the likes of Mohamed Kudus and Richarlison suffering recent injuries, leaving them desperately lacking depth up front.
Rodrygo Bentancur joins James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lukas Bergvall on the sideline, meaning the midfield area could also be short-staffed if things go south.
However, the recent business in this tier of the market could soften the blow with the board committing significant funds to their latest executive additions.
Why Spurs spent £34m on Conor Gallagher in January
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Spurs had won the race to sign Atletico Madrid star Conor Gallagher, with the English player returning to the Premier League for the first time in 18 months.
At one point it looked like Frank’s side were going to lose out to Aston Villa, but the £34m fee he was given on his contract seemed to seal the deal in favor of the Lilywhites.
A move like this gives the manager the experience and quality he has sorely needed in recent weeks, and his stats this season highlight his quality.
Gallagher has performed well in possession so far in 2025/26, with a pass success rate of 92%, with 4.1 of his 90 attempts progressing into the final third.
Numbers like this prove his incredible ball-playing ability, which could give possession to another super-orchestrator and help Frank’s possession-based system.
But it’s when the former Chelsea star makes his mark without the ball, as evidenced by his impressive 3.4 tackles per 90 tackles this season.
According to the aforementioned tally, he is in the top 15% of all players in La Liga, further confirming his ability to win the ball back when his team is under pressure.
The numbers listed make him the perfect box-to-box option for the north London manager, which could finally allow him to reignite his career after a disastrous start to his tenure in charge.
Already another Spurs star in Gallagher
As mentioned above, Spurs’ midfield certainly has good qualities, but injuries have seriously prevented Frank from finding the best three-man partnership.
In an effort to make the club competitive in the Premier League, leaders have spent huge amounts of money in such areas in recent years, but so far to no avail.
Frank will no doubt be hoping that Gallagher is given more time to achieve such success in North London as he is a player who can certainly help the Danes in their quest.
After making such a move this window, the 25-year-old will undoubtedly be a regular starter for the next few months, but the biggest question will be who will start next to him.
The player the Danes should use in such a position is Archie Gray, a youngster who can have a positive impact on the club for years to come.
As with Gallagher, executives reportedly shelled out a sizeable sum for his services, subsequently paying Leeds United £40m to sign him in the summer of 2024.
Last season was his first in North London, but various injuries in the backline meant he had to play a number of roles that were largely unnatural during such a campaign.
Manager Ange Postecoglou has often started the 19-year-old in a centre-back or full-back role, with only a handful of appearances in his familiar central midfield position as a senior.
However, the Englishman will return to the midfield role in the 2025/26 season as Frank began to show faith in the teenager’s success.
Such a decision was a blessing in disguise for Gray, as the youngster produced a number of impressive characters, making him a talented choice for the role of Gallagher.
He has appeared in 11 Premier League games so far this season, scoring his first goal for the first team in a narrow 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in December.
However, his fundamental statistics also show his talent, which has led to the youngster receiving high praise from a number of reliable sources in recent months.
Gray completed 86% of his attempted passes while also completing 33% of his attempted crosses. This ranks him in the top 20% of all players in his division.
Archie Gray – PL Statistics (2025/26) | |
|---|---|
Statistics (every 90) | tally |
games played | 11 |
goals and assists | 1 |
Pass accuracy | 86% |
completed cross | 33% |
Dribbling completed | 50% |
Number of intercepts | 1.2 |
The ball was collected | 3.9 |
shot taken | 0.9 |
Statistics by FotMob | |
He also completed 50% of his attempted dribbles and made 1.2 interceptions per 90, leading Ben Mattinson to call him a “future £100m” footballer.
Other records, such as 3.9 ball recoveries per 90 and 0.9 shots per 90, point to his incredible box-to-box qualities and could see him become just as impressive as Gallagher in the coming years.
The possibility of these two working together in North London could make this team a force to be reckoned with, but it’s up to Frank to get the most out of them.
If they can line up and replicate those numbers, their investment could be a potential bargain, and Gray is a player who could certainly command an impressive fee given his young age.
Spurs consider £30m move to sign bigger English player than Gallagher
Tottenham Hotspur have set their sights on a new big-money talent in January this year.
