It’s been a tough season for Tottenham Hotspur, but they know it’s sink or swim now that manager Igor Tudor is in charge for the rest of the season.
Indeed, Tudor’s first task will be to engineer a ‘manager’s bounce’ and lift Spurs to the heights of the Premier League and far away from the relegation zone, where they are in danger of plummeting.
However, it is important to remember that Tudor can only wait until the end of the season when his interim contract expires.
If he proves successful over the next few months of the season, he could earn the job, but there is no question that Mauricio Pochettino remains the favorite to rebuild this beleaguered team.
Why Spurs want to hire Pochettino
It has been revealed that Tottenham are on a shortlist of three managers, Roberto de Zerbi, Andoni Iraola and Pochettino.
Of course, Pochettino knows the North Londoners well and has admitted in the past that he would like to return someday after leaving.
After all, Spurs teams in his prime were a force to be reckoned with, and that level of fluidity and attacking sharpness could go a long way in reigniting this club and restoring its identity, which has been in limbo over the past few months.
With Pock’s attack-oriented system backed by a clear culture that has produced talents like Dele Alli, it’s no wonder Spurs have been so successful.
What would it give Tottenham to add such a player to the team? In fact, there is a player in the squad who is thought to be similar to the troubled English sensation, when in reality he is emerging as London’s new Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Spurs have found their new Hojbjerg
Dele was expected to be “one of the best players in the world” by manager Jose Mourinho. He is a two-time winner of the PFA Young Player of the Year Award.
The 29-year-old midfielder is so unique that in the case of Conor Gallagher, some may have thought Tottenham had acquired a new version when they signed the Atletico Madrid central midfielder for £35 million in January.
The former Chelsea star was described by The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brook as playing like a “Poch-era Dele Alli”. It was a glowing endorsement of the Three Lions star quality, a skilled presser and a dangerous asset going into the final third.
That said, Gallagher probably doesn’t offer as much variety as Tottenham fans were led to believe, and in this regard he may actually be emerging as the new Hojbjerg.
Hojbjerg made 184 appearances for Tottenham after joining from Southampton in 2020. His combative Danish teammate Morten Bysgaard hails him as a “monster”, echoing Gallagher, who is also intelligent and hard-working.
But the key point here is that the 25-year-old Gallagher lacks the ability to penetrate defenses, rarely creating goals out of thin air and rarely tearing through defenses with surgical passes.
Conor Gallagher’s recent Premier League results | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (* per 90) | 23/24 | 25/26 |
Match (start) | 37 (37) | 5(5) |
the goal | 5 | 0 |
assist | 7 | 1 |
Exact path* | 92% | 31.6 (82%) |
A big opportunity has arisen | 11 | 0 |
Key pass* | 1.4 | 1.4 |
Successful. dribble* | 1.0 (68%) | 1.0 (71%) |
Ball recovery rate* | 6.3 | 5.0 |
Tackle* | 2.3 | 1.4 |
Duel (win)* | 5.7 (50%) | 5.2 (48%) |
Statistics by Sofascore | ||
Dell has the qualities he boasted during his Premier League heyday, and while Gallagher may have been thought of as such a player before his move to Spurs, it’s clear he doesn’t fit the same mold.
If Pochettino returns to the club this summer, he will no doubt utilize Gallagher’s skill set, but there is no question that he will not appoint the Englishman in the playmaking role that Dele once played.
Instead, he may need to control the midfield and dictate the tempo from deep, and in that regard he will be the new Hojbjerg.
Tudor needs to keep Simmons on the bench for Arsenal match against Spurs star ‘like Thierry Henry’
Tottenham face raucous neighbors Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
