Tottenham Hotspur have had a rare weekend off after their scheduled clash with London rivals Chelsea was postponed due to their involvement in the League Cup final with Liverpool on Sunday.
This means that Ange Postecoglou's side now have a game in hand over the teams around them in the Premier League table, who have all played 26 matches to Spurs' 25.
The weekend's results in the top-flight have left the Lilywhites in fifth and five points behind Aston Villa in fourth, as they battle to secure Champions League football for the 2024/25 campaign.
Whilst the bulk of their focus will be on the current season and trying to achieve as top four finish in the division, the club reportedly already have one eye on the summer transfer window as they plot to improve their squad.
They are said to still be interested in a deal to sign a Premier League star who was on their radar during the recent January transfer window.
Latest Spurs transfer news
According to Football Insider, Tottenham have a 'concrete' interest in Chelsea central midfielder Conor Gallagher ahead of a possible summer swoop.
The report claims that the club are continuing to keep tabs on the England international's situation at Stamford Bridge, as they would like to bring him over to North London.
It states that Spurs 'intend' to make another move to sign the 24-year-old maestro after they failed to secure his services at the start of this year.
Football Insider reveal that Postecoglou's side did hold talks with Chelsea over a possible transfer for the former Crystal Palace loanee, but a move never materialised before the deadline passed.
The outlet claims that the Blues need to raise funds to comply with Premier League financial rules as they are currently at risk of exceeding the £105m allowable losses under Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules.
It was reported earlier this month that they could need to sell several key players to ensure that they do not fall the wrong side of those losses.
Gallagher's current contract at Stamford Bridge is due to expire in the summer of 2025, which means that he will have one year left to run on his deal by the end of this season.
This, along with him being a homegrown player whose sale would be pure profit, could make him a prime candidate for Chelsea to cash in on, particularly amid interest from Spurs.
Tottenham must now push hard to secure a summer deal to sign the impressive midfielder ahead of the 2024/25 campaign as he is a proven Premier League performer who could come in as Postecoglou's own version of Villa star Douglas Luiz.
The Brazilian gem, who scored twice this weekend, was linked with a move to North London last summer but the club could now sign their own version of him by landing Gallagher.
Douglas Luiz's Premier League brilliance
Villa are currently above Spurs in the division and Luiz's brilliance in the middle of the park has played a pivotal role in their impressive success so far.
The former Manchester City prospect is a well-rounded midfielder who has athleticism and quality to make an impact in and out of possession for his team.
He has showcased his ability in the final third with an impressive return of nine goals and four assists in 25 Premier League appearances this season, with four of those goals coming from the penalty spot.
Luiz, with his five non-penalty goals, currently ranks within the top 15% of midfielders in the division for non-penalty goals (0.21) per 90, and the top 16% for Expected Assisted Goals (0.16) per 90.
The 25-year-old dynamo also ranks within the top 28% or higher for progressive passes (5.82) and progressive carries (2.01) per 90 respectively, which shows that he is positive on the ball and constantly looking to progress play for his team.
Defensively, the talented gem has been strong in his physical battles with a duel success rate of 54%, to go along with 2.6 tackles and interceptions per match.
This shows that Luiz can hold his own out of possession to win the ball back for his side multiple times per game, alongside his impressive work in the final third.
Why Gallagher could be Tottenham's own Luiz
Interestingly, FBref list the Villa star as the second-most similar player to Gallagher in the Premier League, behind Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United, based on their respective statistics this season.
Like the Brazilian gem, the England international has been a creative force in the middle of the park with 0.14 Expected Assisted Goals per 90, which places him within the top 30% of his positional peers this term, and that has led to four assists in the top-flight.
The Chelsea ace also ranks within the top 28% for progressive passes (5.66) per 90, which shows that they both look to push their respective teams up the pitch by breaking lines with forward passes.
Gallagher has also been an impressive defensive presence in front of his back four with 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game and a duel success rate of 52% across 24 appearances in the Premier League.
This suggests that the Spurs target could, in fact, offer more than Luiz out of possession as he has made 1.2 more tackles and interceptions combined per outing this term.
However, the Blues gem has only scored two goals, both of which came against Crystal Palace recently, and has not offered as much as the Villa star has as a scorer.
Although, Gallagher did plunder eight goals, along with three assists, in 34 appearances whilst on loan with the Eagles in the Premier League during the 2021/22 campaign, which suggests that the potential is there for him to provide regular quality in the final third.
Overall, the 6 foot metronome, who was once hailed as "relentless" by The Athletic's Mike Stavrou, has the requisite attributes and performance levels to be Postecoglou's own, younger, version of Luiz in midfield for the club.
He has the potential to offer quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals, as a progressive passer in the middle of the park, and as a brick wall in front of the defence to cut out opposition attacks, which could make him a well-rounded option for the head coach.
