Tottenham Hotspur are in a spot of bother, but there’s enough left of the 2025/26 campaign for Thomas Frank to turn things around and restore a positive club-fanbase connection.
But the flip side of that would be Frank is on the edge of a precipice, certainly not safe in his seat at the Spurs helm. If results do not improve over the next few months, the ownership will be sure to make a change.
Tottenham did strengthen throughout the January transfer window, but key areas were not addressed as Frank’s injury crisis deepened. In this, the Dane is bound to feel somewhat resentful.
Of course, some holes have been plugged. Conor Gallagher was the statement signing of the transfer window, and while this doesn’t directly address the offensive problems Frank’s squad are beset with, it’s a step in the right direction.
How Gallagher is getting on at Spurs
Gallagher, 25, joined Tottenham from Atletico Madrid this winter after a year-and-a-half in Spain. The Chelsea academy graduate completed a £35m move to N17.
He’s fitting in nicely, adding something different at the heart of Frank’s system. Against Man City at the weekend, for example, he was immense, making any number of defensive contributions and pressing forward and influencing the attack.
Rodrigo Bentancur is part of a long list of Tottenham injuries, but regardless, an upgrade was needed in the middle of the park, and Gallagher is the industrious, all-action piece who could lift this team.
Though he won’t overturn creativity difficulties that have threatened Frank’s tenure all year, Gallagher is “like a machine” in the middle of the park, according to former teammate Moises Caicedo, and he’s won 18 duels across only three games back in the Premier League at a success rate of 61%.
Someone like Bentancur may find chances to start for Tottenham slimmed down now that the England star is in the mix. Moreover, next season, Spurs could welcome an academy star back from a loan spell away who has the potential to become an important part of the project.
The Spurs talent who could be the next Gallagher
Tottenham have one of the richest academy systems in the country, but right now, this is little solace for a fanbase who have suffered greatly from poor result after poor result, frustrating and pragmatic football, which has failed to create consistency in the Premier League.
However, it is at least comforting to note that Spurs are well-stocked for the years ahead, and Tyrese Hall could be the cream of the crop, flourishing out on loan with Notts County in League Two this season.
Appearing on Sky Sports News, pundit and former Spurs striker Jermaine Defoe claimed that Hall is “one of the best players of his age” competing anywhere in the country, with his silky ball control and effortless and elegant passing, handing him “a Luka Modric sort of vibe”.
Gallagher’s natural aggression and ability to cover large areas of the pitch often see him misprofiled. Modric he is not, but the Three Lions star does operate in a similar box-to-box fashion as the Croatian did way back in his Spurs days.
Hall, however, could be a more fitting tribute act in the years ahead, a natural finisher with crisp and creative passing.
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Tyrese Hall’s Stats in League Two |
|
|---|---|
|
Stats (* per 90) |
# |
|
Matches (starts) |
22 (14) |
|
Goals + Assists |
5 + 1 |
|
Touches* |
31.4 |
|
Accurate passes* |
16.1 (81%) |
|
Chances created* |
0.6 |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
1.0 (62%) |
|
Ball recoveries* |
2.3 |
|
Tackles* |
1.2 |
|
Duels won* |
3.0 |
|
Data via Sofascore |
|
The 20-year-old is a seasoned member of Spurs’ development team, having featured 82 times all told, scoring 18 goals and providing 15 assists.
And to consider that this is his first foray into professional life, in a rigorous division such as League Two, surely bodes well for Hall’s future, with so much technical quality and skill within him.
An ability to get stuck in and perform the defensive and industrious sides of the midfield game only add further evidence that this could be Tottenham’s next version of Gallagher, someone he will learn from over the next few years.
It’s a bit premature to claim that Hall will grow into a starring midfielder of Modric’s calibre back at White Hart Lane, but the potential is there.
Hall isn’t ready for the Premier League just yet, but if he returns from his season-long deal and slots right into pre-season at Spurs, he will be on the right track.
Their best signing since Van de Ven: Spurs star is becoming Frank’s own Rice
Tottenham have hit the jackpot on this talented player.
