Conor Gallagher has already told Thomas Frank his best position as Tottenham agree £35m deal

Conor Gallagher has told Thomas Frank what his best position is ahead of a potential transfer to Tottenham Hotspur

Conor Gallagher has already told Thomas Frank his best position ahead of a potential transfer to Tottenham Hotspur. The Atletico Madrid ace emerged as a target over the weekend, and now the Lilywhites look set to secure his signature.

On Sunday, football.london reported that Spurs had entered the race to sign Gallagher. The Lilywhites stepped up their search for a new midfielder after it was confirmed that Rodrigo Bentancur would miss the remainder of the season due to injury.

It's understood that Tottenham and Atletico agreed a deal worth around €40million (£34.7million) for the England international, fending off strong interest from Aston Villa. Unai Emery's side, who wanted to sign Gallagher on loan with an option to buy, never struck a formal agreement with the Spanish giants.

The 25-year-old is expected to sign a long-term contract in north London, with personal terms not thought to be an issue. football.london understands that Spurs' willingness to buy Gallagher outright was key to edging their Premier League rivals in the race.

The Chelsea academy graduate had attracted interest from elsewhere, but they were reluctant to fork out such a hefty fee this month. As it stands, it remains to be seen whether Tottenham will wrap up a deal ahead of the weekend.

So long as Spurs officially register Gallagher by Friday midday, he'll be eligible to make his debut at home to West Ham on Saturday afternoon. Frank will already have an idea of where he plans to play the Englishman, which will likely be in a pivot alongside Joao Palhinha or Archie Gray.

However, Gallagher has previously suggested that he feels better suited to a role further up the field. Speaking to club media at Stamford Bridge in June 2022, the former Chelsea ace said: "I feel like runs into the box I’m good at, and I can win the ball back well and press well.

"I like to score goals, and I want to score more. I can be more aware on the ball in deeper areas and have a better vision sometimes. There’s loads of things, and I could go on for ages, but I’m very determined to work hard and improve as a footballer still."

A month or so later, this time in an interview with The Guardian, Gallagher was a little more open-minded. He said: "I’m quite versatile as well. Anywhere in midfield, I feel like I should be comfortable."

Then, shortly after joining Atletico from Chelsea in the summer of 2024, Gallagher spoke to The Athletic. The former Blue acknowledged his role as a combative midfielder, rather than one that will pulls the strings and dictate play.

During his welcome ceremony at the Metropolitano, Gallagher was introduced to supporters as a 'pitbull' who would bring 'new lungs' to the side. On his new nickname, he said: "I think that was something Atletico made up.

"Some people in England call me a dog, because of how I play on the pitch. Sometimes I just run after every ball, like a dog does in the park. It kind of stuck. (Atletico) took it from there. I don’t mind. I take it as a compliment."

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