The Conor Gallagher transfer saga, which has felt like an endless rollercoaster, is finally over. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Gallagher has agreed to move to Atlético Madrid, putting an end to a story that’s been buzzing in transfer circles for months.

This means Tottenham Hotspur’s long pursuit of the midfielder is now officially over.

Gallagher’s transfer saga was far from straightforward. Over the weekend, there were swirling reports of drama surrounding the young midfielder.

Speculation included Gallagher’s apparent exclusion from Chelsea’s first team, potential ultimatums from the club, and his ambiguous stance on extending his contract.

Adding to the complexity, Gallagher seemed keen to stay in London but was also open to other options. The situation was anything but clear-cut, leading to considerable media buzz and fan frustration.

In the midst of this chaos, Gallagher’s move to Atlético Madrid for €40 million might feel like a missed opportunity for Tottenham. The club reportedly faced inflated price tags from Chelsea, with figures reaching as high as £65 million.

This discrepancy adds a layer of annoyance for Spurs supporters who were hoping to see Gallagher in their colors. However, there’s a suggestion that Tottenham’s interest in Gallagher might not have been as intense as it seemed.

Why did Gallagher reject Tottenham?

Aston Villa, another Premier League club, also had their bid rejected earlier in the window, indicating that Gallagher’s market was not exclusively centered on Tottenham.

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou was known to be a fan of Gallagher, and there’s a belief that the midfielder could have been a valuable addition to the Spurs squad.

Yet, the simplest explanation for Gallagher not ending up at Tottenham is that Chelsea simply did not want to sell him to their Premier League rivals. In this context, the transfer to Atlético Madrid appears to be a pragmatic choice for all parties involved.

For Tottenham fans, Gallagher’s transfer is a chance to put this chapter behind them. The transfer window is still open, so there are plenty of other options out there.

As Gallagher gets settled with Atlético Madrid, Spurs fans can shift their attention to what’s next for their team and stay hopeful for fresh moves that could boost the squad for the upcoming season.

The end of a long and dramatic saga

Our long national nightmare is finally over. According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has verbally agreed to move to Atletico Madrid, bringing to a close a saga involving Tottenham Hotspur that has lingered for months.

It’s Gallaghover.

⚪️ EXCLUSIVE: Conor Gallagher has verbally agreed terms and said YES to join Atlético Madrid!‘Here we go’ to follow today after formal steps, five year deal La Liga’s record fee this summer, €40m to Chelsea — brokered by Ali Barat from Epic Sports and Paul Nicholls. pic.twitter.com/7rOQgmY2jh

I won’t go fully into all of the ~~~DRAMA~~~ that went into the Gallagher saga over the weekend, except to say that there were reports that he was banished from Chelsea’s first team, but then wasn’t, and was maybe given an ultimatum after rejecting another two year contract extension, but wanted to stay in London but also maybe not?

It’s complicated. And frankly, he’s not a Spurs player so ultimately who cares?

So on the one hand the fact that Gallagher is moving to Atletico for €40m after Chelsea reportedly quoted Spurs figures as high as £65m is super annoying, but there’s also some background info that suggests Spurs maybe weren’t as into him as previously thought? Tottenham were one of two Premier League clubs interested in Gallagher with the other club reportedly being Aston Villa, who had a bid for Conor rejected earlier in the window. I think there’s a decent chance Gallagher would’ve been very good for Spurs and we know Ange Postecoglou really liked him, but Occam’s Razor also suggests that the simplest reason he’s not holding up a lilywhite shirt right now is that Chelsea just didn’t want to sell to Spurs. And, y’know, fair enough?

Honestly I’m just glad that this is over and we can stop talking about it. Time to move on.

Chelsea’s Perspective on the Transfer

The question of Gallagher's future is not a new one and it has been a subject of debate for well over a year with the large influx of players to Stamford Bridge since Todd Boehly's arrival with Clearlake's takeover of the club. That high expenditure has required sales to fall in line with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Aside from other club assets such as the women's team and hotels, academy-grown players are one of the best sources of profit. They are essentially pure profit for a selling club as there is no pre-existing acquisition cost to amortize over the duration of their contracts. Gallagher joined the club aged eight and has risen all the way to being an England international, so he has long been considered one of the obvious academy-grown talents to sell given his high profile with other EPL clubs interested in signing him.

Chelsea did offer Gallagher extended terms on more than one occasion lately, but the issue with these proposals was that it was too short for the player who wanted something longer which the club was not prepared to commit to. Enzo Maresca seems less impressed by Gallagher than previous bosses, but the real goal behind Chelsea's bids was to extend the deal beyond 2025 so that the Londoners had longer to sell him in case the contract wore down without a deal being done. Essentially, the club was offering a new contract to keep Gallagher's value high and avoiding a scenario of being forced to sell for a low amount to a Premier League rival one day.

Atletico Madrid's Gain: A Premier League Star Joins La Liga

Whether or not Spain and Atleti is good fit for Gallagher remains to be seen but Diego Simeone's squad will definitely be an interesting landing spot for the Three Lions star. Los Colchoneros will be looking to compete more seriously with bitter rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of La Liga and the Englishman is a boost to the Argentine's squad. Culturally it might take a bit of work but Gallagher arrives as part of an interesting overhaul alongside Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth with Julian Alvarez also wanted. Factor in Alvaro Morata's departure along with other veterans such as Stefan Savic, Gabriel Paulista, Memphis Depay, Vitolo, Mario Hermoso and Caglar Soyuncu and Gallagher's arrival looks quite astute. Add in the fact that Chelsea will be delighted to have kept him out of Premier League hands and it is arguably the best possible landing spot once it was decided that the move absolutely had to go ahead.