Spurs star was “finished” under Tudor, now he’s been revived like Gallagher

Conor Gallagher, considering his prior Chelsea links, was always going to face an uphill task to impress at Tottenham Hotspur, with hopes of a smooth return to the Premier League having not been made any easier, considering the chaos he has walked into at N17.

Signed in late January, the 26-year-old is already working under his third Spurs manager, with any new arrival likely to be left spinning by such upheaval, particularly after departing the settled environment of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.

Without a goal until last weekend, the Englishman didn’t get off to the most fruitful start, it must be said, although first impressions don’t have to be fatal.

Now, the midfielder looks like a key lieutenant under Roberto De Zerbi’s watch, with the trip to Villa Park hopefully set to be liftoff for his stuttering Spurs career.

Why Gallagher looks like a different player under De Zerbi

Prior to the Italian’s appointment, Gallagher hadn’t started the previous three league games, while having also been hooked on the hour mark against both Arsenal and Fulham, lining up in an unorthodox right-wing berth against the latter.

The dynamic has shifted under the new regime, however, with the £34m signing starting each of the last four, while looking particularly influential since the defeat to Sunderland.

Against Brighton and Hove Albion, for instance, he was unleashed in a more all-action, box-to-box role, memorably hunting down Bart Verbruggen at one stage as he led the press from the front.

Described previously as a player that De Zerbi “loved” at Chelsea, Gallagher is looking more like his usual self in this current Spurs set-up, with the win over Aston Villa his crowning moment for the club to date.

His strike from range to open the scoring showcased that there is more to his game than merely out-of-possession heroics, having previously scored and assisted 12 Premier League goals during his final year at Stamford Bridge.

That impact had come while largely operating as an advanced midfielder, something which De Zerbi has now allowed him to repeat, hence this mini-revival in recent weeks.

Gallagher is clearly benefitting from the change in the dugout, and he’s not the only one.

Spurs star is enjoying an even bigger revival than De Zerbi

Safety is still not guaranteed for the north Londoners, far from it, although the club stands a far better chance with De Zerbi now at the helm than they did under Tudor, with that brief interim spell feeling like a wasted period for all concerned.

The fear too was the possible long-term repercussions that could stem from the Croatian’s seven-game stint in charge, with the 47-year-old continually overlooking Xavi Simons, while having handed a brutal blow to young goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky.

Speaking during that night in Madrid, TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher suggested that Kinsky’s early withdrawal would mark the beginning of the end for his Tottenham career, having looked “finished” after such public humiliation.

On the slick Metropolitano turf, the Czech stopper had endured every keeper’s worst nightmare, throwing away his big chance after being thrust into the fray in place of the error-strewn Guglielmo Vicario.

Thankfully, Vicario’s absence following a hernia surgery has afforded Kinsky another opportunity, the 23-year-old able to swiftly put his Champions League misery behind, rather than letting such a horror show drag on and fester.

To his credit, the former Slavia Prague has, quite literally, seized his chance with both hands, up to the task from the off up against a physical Sunderland side at the Stadium of Light.

Only a deflection could better him on that occasion, while there was little he could do about either effort against the Seagulls, with the aforementioned Verbruggen looking the more shaky of the pair at the opposite end.

Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, meanwhile, Kinsky’s last-gasp prevented Joao Gomes from curling home an equaliser, with Gallagher subsequently stating that his young teammate “deserves” this resurgence, following all his hard work behind the scenes.

He looks like the perfect De Zerbi ‘keeper, as he showed last time out, completing 20 of his 21 passes inside his own half, so assured with the ball at his feet.

Better men than he might well have wilted after that 16-minute madness last month, but under the De Zerbi regime, Kinsky is quietly making himself one of the first names on the teamsheet.