Enough Is Enough: De Zerbi Has to Draw a Line Under Gallagher at Spurs
Tottenham gambled big over the summer, spraying close to £400m on ten new faces after flirting with the trapdoor for a second straight campaign. Roberto De Zerbi promised a reset, a reboot, a Spurs that finally had some bite. Three games in, they’ve mustered a single point and not a solitary goal. The mood? Edgy. The solution? It starts with a brave call on Conor Gallagher.
The system exposes the problem
De Zerbi’s gone 4-2-3-1, with Omar Marmoush nominally leading the line but roaming to knit play together. Instead of a classic creator at No 10, he’s chosen a runner who can crash the box. Gallagher has started two of the three league matches in that role, and while the energy’s admirable, the end product simply isn’t.
Spurs have athletes all over midfield; what they’re crying out for is incision. Gallagher doesn’t offer the passing range to unlock a low block, isn’t a natural sitter without the ball, and he’s not clinical enough to be trusted when it matters. In a side already short on guile, that cocktail is holding Tottenham back.
Numbers that don’t flatter
Since arriving for £35m from Atlético Madrid back in January, Gallagher’s return is one goal in all competitions. For context, Dominic Solanke has 6 in that span, Richarlison 4, with Cristian Romero, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani on 3 apiece. Pedro Porro and João Palhinha have chipped in with 2, while Mathys Tel and Micky van de Ven have one each — as does Archie Gray. That’s the company Gallagher keeps right now, and it’s not the company a starting No 10 at a club with top-half ambitions should be keeping.
Options galore — so use them
This is the crux. De Zerbi has attacking tools to spare: Mohammed Kudus, Savio, Marmoush, Solanke, James Maddison, Tel, Mykhailo Mudryk and Dejan Kulusevski. Then look deeper: Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes arrived to beef up midfield, Lucas Bergvall stayed to develop, Archie Gray is part of the leadership group, and Rodrigo Bentancur remains a pivotal presence. With mostly one game a week on the slate, there’s no need to carry passengers for “rotation” reasons.
January ruthlessness required
The window has only just shut, but the next one has to be in Spurs’ sights already. If De Zerbi’s rebuild is to take hold, he must be clinical with his choices. Gallagher is the first tough call. There’s a market for a high-energy midfielder — plenty of sides would welcome his industry — but Tottenham need a different profile to turn sterile possession into goals.
About that “outstanding form” claim…
Yes, there are whispers that Gallagher’s been outstanding in the opening weeks. Perhaps that’s on the training pitches at Hotspur Way. But the Premier League is a results business, and the evidence under the lights doesn’t support the hype — not when Spurs haven’t hit the net and the No 10 spot looks more graft than craft.
The call De Zerbi has to make
De Zerbi was hired to change the culture as much as the tactics. Making a bold selection is part of that. Elevate a creator, reshuffle the deck with Maddison central, or trust a Kudus or Kulusevski between the lines. Do that, and suddenly Marmoush’s roaming makes sense; Solanke’s penalty-box nous becomes a weapon; the wide men have someone who sees the pass early.
For supporters looking at where momentum might swing next — and where the smart money fancies Spurs to spark into life — our hub of best betting sites is a useful pit stop. But the bottom line is this: De Zerbi must act now, move Gallagher on in January, and put creativity at the heart of this side.
Brutal? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely. Enough is enough — it’s time for Spurs to pick a No 10 who changes games, not just covers ground.
