Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer business has often been brought into question over recent years, especially during Daniel Levy’s tenure at the helm in North London.
The former chairman was often blasted by supporters for his lack of spending in the transfer market, but it’s safe to say the Lilywhites have splashed the cash in recent seasons.
Back in the summer of 2024, the hierarchy forked out a reported £65m for the signature of striker Dominic Solanke – with such a move breaking the club’s record transfer.
Since the summer of 2022, the Lilywhites have spent just shy of £700m on new additions alone, which highlights the backing the board have shown to various managers.
One player has recently made the move to North London, but the early signs don’t appear to be as positive as many of the club’s supporters were hoping for.
The stats behind Conor Gallagher’s start to life at Spurs
During the winter transfer window, Spurs forked out a fee in the region of £34m for the signature of midfielder Conor Gallagher in an attempt to bolster the quality at the heart of the side.
The Englishman’s move certainly divided opinion amongst the fanbase, with the people who were against such a move starting to look as though their scepticism was correct.
He’s so far featured in five matches since his transfer from the LaLiga giants, but he’s been unable to catch the eye – with his stats showcasing his struggles in North London.
The 26-year-old has only managed to complete 81% of the passes he’s attempted to date, which ranks him in the bottom 20% of all midfielders in the division this season.
He’s also won just 1.5 tackles per 90 since his switch back to the Premier League, which is no doubt a tally much lower than the fans expected, given his tally out of possession.
There’s little denying that Gallagher has so far failed to hit the heights expected of him, which could certainly increase the pressure on him to succeed after such a transfer.
The Spurs star who’s now worth more than Gallagher
As previously mentioned, Spurs have spent a pretty penny on new additions in recent years, but not all of their investments have been on big-money reinforcements.
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Pape Matar Sarr is just one player who has made the move to join the Lilywhites in recent years, with the Senegalese international arriving for a reported £16m in the summer of 2022.
He’s since racked up over 100 appearances in North London, even scoring on 11 occasions and often popping up in key moments within the final third of the pitch.
However, he’s not the only teenager to have moved to Spurs to further their career, with Swedish star Lucas Bergvall doing the same thing back in the summer of 2024.
The hierarchy forked out a reported £8m for the 20-year-old from homeland club Djurgarden, even beating the likes of Barcelona to secure a move for his signature.
Many anticipated the teenager would originally link up with the club’s academy setup, but the extensive injury list last season handed him the perfect chance to stake his claim for a first-team spot.
Bergvall managed to feature in 45 matches across all competitions under Ange Postecoglou, subsequently playing a vital role in the success in the Europa League.
As a result of his tremendous performances in North London, the youngster received huge praise – including from The Athletic’s JJ Bull, who compared him to Luka Modrić.
“[Bergvall] has a first touch like Modric, you can fire it at him and he’s got it controlled. Think you can tell a lot about a player by first touch. Anyway, Bergvall is properly ace.” JJ Bull on Bergvall.
Such praise is huge for such a young talent, especially considering the player he was being compared to was a fan-favourite with the Lilywhites – before winning six Champions League titles with Real Madrid.
The 2025/26 campaign has been an injury-hit season for Bergvall, as seen by his tally of just 26 appearances across all competitions under Frank’s guidance.
|
Lucas Bergvall – PL stats (2025/26) |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics (per 90) |
Tally |
|
Games played |
17 |
|
Goals & assists |
3 |
|
Pass accuracy |
83% |
|
Dribble success |
70% |
|
Tackles won |
2.2 |
|
Duels won |
4.8 |
|
Recoveries made |
3.8 |
|
Shots taken |
1.1 |
He’s set to return to full fitness in the months ahead, which could allow him to be a key member of the squad under the guidance of temporary boss Igor Tudor.
However, his lack of action hasn’t stopped his market value from soaring in recent months, with the youngster now valued at £35m by Transfermarkt – an increase of £27m.
Such a valuation is now higher than that of new addition Gallagher, with the Englishman now worth just £30m despite his recent winter transfer from Atlético Madrid.
Bergvall is just one example of the excellent business that can be conducted in North London, with the 20-year-old still having a huge future ahead of him at the club.
However, given the huge fee spent on his signature and his lack of impact, the pressure is undoubtedly mounting on the new addition to stamp his authority at the heart of the side.
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