Aston Villa, Leeds and Everton are all reported to have Conor Gallagher on their January watch lists, and our answer to all three is a simple one: not now.
All three clubs are looking for ways to strengthen their midfields, and all three are said to be preparing potential offers for the winter window. The timing is odd. Gallagher has just started to look like a properly useful part of Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham, and Spurs have won three league games in a row to climb to eighth.
There is one exception, and it is a big one. If the player coming the other way were Morgan Gibbs-White, we would wave Gallagher off with a smile. Spurs are still keeping tabs on the Forest playmaker, but that deal looks like one for 2027, not this winter.
Why are Villa, Leeds and Everton circling?
Because he is exactly the sort of midfielder a club in the middle of the table wants: energy, aggression, Premier League experience and an English, homegrown player into the bargain. Those players don’t come cheap, and clubs know a midfielder who isn’t starting every week might be open to a move.
That last part is the risk for Spurs. Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes have become the heartbeat of this side, and when both are fit there isn’t an obvious way past them. Gallagher’s minutes have come in other ways, from the No 10 role or from the bench when De Zerbi wants to close a game down.
What has he actually given De Zerbi?
More than the headlines suggest. At Stamford Bridge it was Gallagher who was in the thick of it when Cole Palmer stepped on his ankle and picked up a second yellow card, leaving Chelsea with ten men just before Mathys Tel sealed the 2-0 win at Chelsea. That is what he does: he runs into the places opponents would rather he didn’t.
De Zerbi clearly trusts him, too. Before the Crystal Palace game, talking through his options in the playmaker role, the Spurs boss named Gallagher as an option there: “We can play with Marmoush as a 10, with Conor Gallagher as a 10.” Against Palace he came on for Dominic Solanke early in the second half.
We would still argue the No 10 isn’t where he is at his best. Ask him to be the creative hub and he will always come off second best to James Maddison. Ask him to play as a box-to-box eight, or to come on with 25 minutes left and lock the game down, and he is a very good player to have.
Should Tottenham sell Conor Gallagher in January?
No, and availability is the main reason. Maddison has looked sharp since coming back, but the questions about whether he can last 90 minutes haven’t gone away. Dejan Kulusevski is only just back after a 526-day absence, and nobody should be leaning on him every week yet.
Take Gallagher out of that group in January and De Zerbi loses the one midfielder who can cover the eight and the ten and still bring the same intensity off the bench. If Spurs want to make room or raise money in midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur or Lucas Bergvall feel like the more natural sales to us, and Bergvall already has interest from Napoli.
The other side of it is Gallagher himself. If the bench role continues and he is only getting 20 or 30 minutes a game, he may decide he wants to play every week somewhere else. Our feeling is that he is more likely to dig in and fight for the shirt, and on current form he has every chance of earning more starts.
Where does Morgan Gibbs-White fit in?
Tottenham continue to monitor Gibbs-White and are considering another attempt to sign him in 2027. They aren’t alone, with Arsenal and Bayern Munich also admirers of the 26-year-old England international, who has 37 goals and 37 assists in 179 appearances in all competitions.
January looks a non-starter. Nottingham Forest have no interest in entertaining offers in the middle of the season, even after taking just six points from their first nine Premier League games of 2026-27 under Oliver Glasner. They want him on the pitch dragging them up the table, not sold for the biggest fee possible.
The summer is different. His contract runs until 2028 and he is unlikely to sign a renewal at this point, so next season he goes into the final year of his deal. Forest can play hardball for a while, but they can’t afford to let their best player run his contract down.
For Spurs, his biggest selling point is the one Maddison can’t offer: he is nearly always available. He can play as a 10, as an eight or out wide, and he would push every midfielder at the club for his place.
Verdict: Gallagher stays, Gibbs-White is the summer plan
Selling Gallagher in January to Villa, Leeds or Everton would weaken a squad that is finally winning games, for a player who is doing a specific job well. We’d keep him, give him the minutes he has earned, and let him prove the doubters wrong again.
If Gibbs-White becomes a real option next summer, the conversation changes, and Gallagher could be the one who makes way. Until then, there is no upgrade on the table, so there is no reason to sell.
