LONDON (AP) — Conor Gallagher returned to English soccer by signing for Tottenham from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday for a reported 40 million euros ($46.5 million), in a move that could ignite his hopes of playing at the World Cup.
The 25-year-old midfielder left Chelsea for Atletico in the summer of 2024, mainly to help his boyhood club comply with the Premier League’s more strictly applied financial rules.
He returns to the Premier League to one of Chelsea's fiercest rivals, Tottenham.
“I’m so happy and excited to be here, taking the next step in my career at an amazing club," Gallagher said. “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."
Spurs did not reveal the length of his deal, but it is reportedly until 2031.
If Gallagher impresses in the second half of the season, he could force his way into England's World Cup plans. His last appearance for the national team was against Senegal in June. He wasn't in England coach Thomas Tuchel's squad for games in September, October and November, so is looking to impress the German ahead of the World Cup being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Tottenham moved for Gallagher — amid reported interest from fellow Premier League team Aston Villa — while it has big injury problems in its midfield. Rodrigo Bentancur recently joined a list of absentees already including James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus.
“Conor is a top midfielder, who we have worked tirelessly to add to our squad," Spurs coach Thomas Frank said. “He is still young, so has plenty of room for improvement, but also has huge experience across the Premier League, La Liga and with the England national team."
Gallagher was an academy product at Chelsea after joining the club at age 6. He was the team’s vice captain when he left for Atletico and was coming off playing for England at the 2024 European Championship.
Gallagher was 18 months into a five-year deal with Atletico.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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