Jan 13 (Reuters) - England midfielder Conor Gallagher has signed for Tottenham Hotspur from Atletico Madrid on a long-term contract, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old, who joined the Spanish side from Chelsea in 2024, made four starts in LaLiga this season. Spurs and Atletico agreed a transfer fee of approximately 34.6 million pounds ($46.60 million), according to British media.
"I'm so happy and excited to be here, taking the next step in my career at an amazing club," said Gallagher, who will be hoping a return to the Premier League will boost his chances of making England's World Cup squad.
The pressure is mounting on manager Thomas Frank with Tottenham registering one win in their last seven games across all competitions.
To add to their troubles, forward Mohammed Kudus suffered a quad injury keeping him out until April, while midfielders Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur have also been sidelined due to injuries.
Striker Richarlison also went down with what appeared to be a hamstring strain in their 2-1 loss to Aston Villalast Saturday which sealed Tottenham's exit from the FA Cup.
"Conor has captained teams so will bring leadership, maturity, character and personality to our dressing room, while his running power, pressing ability and eye for goal will strengthen us in a key area of the pitch," Frank said in a statement.
Tottenham, 14th in the Premier League standings, face relegation-threatened West Ham United on Saturday.
($1 = 0.7424 pounds)
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
