How Conor Gallagher will impact Bergvall and Gray’s development at Tottenham
Thomas Frank has addressed concerns over how the arrival of Conor Gallagher could impact the development and game time of Tottenham’s emerging midfield talents.
Tottenham Hotspur supporters have every reason to be excited about the addition of Conor Gallagher to the current Spurs squad.
For one, the former Chelsea man arrives with a wealth of experience and is Premier League ready, given his previous spells in England with Crystal Palace, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion.
Gallagher also boasts an impressive injury record across his professional career so far, which should come as a significant boost for Spurs given their recent misfortune on the fitness front.
Thomas Frank on Bergvall and Gray game time at Tottenham
However, Gallagher’s arrival has also raised questions over potential reductions in minutes for Tottenham’s younger midfielders, with Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall both capable of operating in similar areas of the pitch.
Speaking to football.london before the West Ham game, Thomas Frank was asked directly about how the England international’s addition could affect the development of the two teenagers and the balance of his midfield options.
The Tottenham head coach said: “No doubt about that. I think any club you need enough competition and quality. Right now it is like we swapped Rodri [Bentancur] for Gallagher and before that both Lucas and Archie played a lot of minutes.
“They are still in a great development stage and I think they are doing a lot of things right.
“There are not many 19-year-olds playing central midfield in the Premier League, so that says a lot about their quality and also a little bit about how rare it is.”
Gallagher impact on Spurs midfield depth
The addition of Gallagher should do more good than harm to the development of both Gray and Bergvall. As Frank outlined, both youngsters will have the opportunity to learn from the 25-year-old, who brings a wealth of experience, having played over 136 matches in the English top flight.
In the short term, the minutes of the two youngsters should not see a significant hit, with Rodrigo Bentancur set to spend three months sidelined and Palhinha also having picked up a knock, which should allow Gray and Bergvall to continue featuring regularly alongside Gallagher.
Archie Gray appeared to pick up a knock against West Ham, while Bergvall was reduced to a cameo as Gallagher walked straight into the starting XI. It remains to be seen how Frank rotates them in the coming weeks, or whether Tottenham will even make a manager change amid growing pressure.
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