Conor Gallagher has reflected on the massive challenges he faced in his first few months at Tottenham and revealed what Roberto De Zerbi did to help him turn things around.
Gallagher was bought through the door by Thomas Frank, and it is fair to say that the signing was not universally popular among the Tottenham fan base.
The midfielder did little to change the minds of the Spurs supporters in his first couple of months at the club, but like many players at the club, he had a strong end to the season.
The 25-year-old found a new gear under De Zerbi, showing the kind of form we saw from him at Chelsea and playing a critical role in helping Tottenham avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Tottenham star Conor Gallagher reveals how Roberto De Zerbi boosted his confidence
Gallagher has credited De Zerbi with his major turnaround, explaining that the Italian instilled him with plenty of confidence from the day he walked through the door.
De Zerbi had previously admitted to showing Tottenham players their own individual YouTube highlights, and the midfielder revealed that the strategy certainly worked on him.
The former Chelsea midfielder said about the Italian coach’s impact (via The Daily Mail): “He’s really turned it around. From the first day or two, he had everyone under his wing. Everyone trusted him instantly. Everything he was doing was like, ‘thank God he’s come in’. Straight away.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him or what he’s done for the club, for the team and for me individually. I’m looking forward to working with him even more.”
When asked about De Zerbi watching him making his own YouTube highlights, Gallagher said: “One of them was titled ‘Bossing the midfield – Conor Gallagher’ or something like that. It’s funny because I’d seen that before, and he’s just there showing me.
“He did that with a few of the lads. I found it funny, but it was one of his many ways to get players’ confidence back and it helped me. He’s been so good for me. I was low on confidence. The last manager wasn’t having me. The fans didn’t think I was any good.”
Gallagher admits he did not lose belief amid ‘bad times’
The England international confessed that he was going through a hard time after being unable to hit the ground running on his return to the Premier League.
However, Gallagher revealed that he never lost faith that he would come good at Tottenham and he is hopeful that there is a lot more to come from him in a Spurs shirt.
Reflecting on his first few months in North London, the midfielder said: “It was such bad times. We were losing most of our games. I wasn’t playing. When I did play, I didn’t do very well. I was playing out of position. I had just moved back to Englad from Madrid and wanted to hit the ground running back in the Premier League and none of it was happening. It just shows you the importance of confidence and rhythm.
“I had to stay mentally strong and focused, and have belief in myself, which I did. I knew I could come back and show the fans what I can really do. Thank God the new gaffer came in because he was the reason it turned around for the team and for me. Hopefully it’s only the start.”