Gabby Agbonlahor knows exactly why Conor Gallagher rejected Aston Villa for Tottenham
Conor Gallagher chose to join Tottenham over Aston Villa.
Gallagher joined Spurs for a £34million fee, and the move was announced on Wednesday.
Villa showed a keen interest in Gallagher and even reached a club-to-club agreement with Atletico Madrid for the 25-year-old, but they weren’t willing to pay that fee in January.
After speaking with manager Thomas Frank, Gallagher had his heart set on Spurs, and he has signed a contract that will last until 2031.
However, Gabby Agbonlahor believes that the final outcome of the transfer saga wasn’t down to Villa’s financial restrictions.
Gabby Agbonlahor says Conor Gallagher wouldn’t start for Aston Villa
Agbonlahor was thrilled to hear Gallagher could potentially join Villa, although he certainly changed his tune after the move went through.
Speaking on talkSPORT on 15 January, he believes that the England international wouldn’t have replaced any of Villa’s midfielders in the starting lineup, which would have played a part in this thinking.
He said: “I think the deal was different. He’d be a back-up at Aston Villa, but he starts for Spurs and maybe that comes into it.
“I see him as a player that can help give [John] McGinn less time on the pitch; he needs a rest sometimes.”
| Stat | Boubacar Kamara | Youri Tielemans | John McGinn | Amadou Onana |
| Pass accuracy | 88.3% | 84.7% | 82% | 87.3% |
| Chances created | 15 | 19 | 24 | 2 |
| Ground duels won | 56.9% | 57.4% | 44.3% | 65.4% |
| Touches | 1,048 | 922 | 866 | 571 |
Aston Villa are currently third in the table, and with Spurs sat in 14th, Gallagher’s game time would have been a lot more restricted in B6.
There’s no doubt that Spurs have a fantastic player on their hands, and McGinn would have benefitted from being given a rest, but Villa already have a brilliant set of midfielders in their ranks.
Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana and McGinn often steal the plaudits for Villa, but Boubacar Kamara has only been getting his flowers in the last few months.
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Aston Villa’s strength in midfield is among Europe’s best
Kamara joined Villa on a free transfer in 2022, and it is clear to see that he is currently the most important midfielder at the club.
The Frenchman has arguably been Aston Villa‘s player of the season, and he ensures that everything clicks from back to front.
He has won 116 ground duels as a holding midfielder and his passing range has been phenomenal, which has allowed Unai Emery to play counter-attacking football at times.
With Onana’s athleticism alongside him, they make a formidable duo, while Tielemans has the guile to play further forward in the number 10 role.
McGinn’s unorthodox position out wide helps Villa defensively, and all four of them have adapted seamlessly to the tactical changes this season.
There aren’t many other teams in Europe, or even the world, that have this amount of depth and range available to them
While losing out on Gallagher is a blow, there is no reason to suggest that the Villans will struggle without him.
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