Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur reportedly missed out on the chance to sign Conor Gallagher from Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea because of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
According to The London Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur wanted to sign midfielder Conor Gallagher from London and Premier League rivals Chelsea on the final day of the summer transfer window.
Why Tottenham Hotspur could not sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea
Spurs made a verbal offer of £40 million for Gallagher, but the deal was dependent on the North London club being able to offload Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on Friday.
Fulham and Atletico Madrid wanted to sign Hojbjerg.
While the 28-year-old Denmark international midfielder did not want to move to Fulham, Atletico and Spurs could not agree on a deal over the £100,000-a-week (SalarySport) star.
So, Hojbjerg did not leave, and Tottenham could not sign Gallagher, who was described as “extraordinary and outstanding” by former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel on the club’s official website in April 2022 while he was on loan at Crystal Palace.
We do not think that Gallagher would have fancied a move to Tottenham on Friday anyway.
After all, the midfielder has been playing regularly for Chelsea under head coach Mauricio Pochettino this season.
Yes, there is strong competition for places, but Gallagher would have backed himself to keep his spot in the starting lineup in the coming weeks and months.
Moreover, Tottenham left it too late.
A bid on the final day of the summer transfer window was always going to be tough to get accepted.