Roberto De Zerbi may need to rein in Conor Gallagher, who has shown his fair share of yellow cards this season.
Conor Gallagher could soon be set for a spell on the sidelines. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder will face disciplinary action in the coming weeks, having picked up his fair share of yellow cards this season, putting him at risk of a one-match ban.
Gallagher has already been booked three times in the Premier League, while Mateus Fernandes, Archie Gray, Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven have received two yellow cards. According to FA rules, players who receive a total of 5 yellow cards in the first 19 games of the campaign receive a one-game ban.
A player who receives 10 yellow cards in the first 32 matches of the Premier League will be suspended for two games. Roberto De Zerbi is well-equipped to compensate for the England international’s short absence, but he will want his best players to be ready for selection when they face Arsenal next month.
Should Gallagher pick up a yellow card in one of their next three Premier League games – Leeds United (A) on Saturday 7 November, Ipswich Town (H) on Saturday 21 November or Sunderland (A) on Sunday 29 November – he will then leave North London on 6 December when Spurs host Fulham on 3 December.
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The 26-year-old midfielder could serve a suspension ahead of the Gunners’ clash, picking up his fifth caution ahead of Tottenham’s clash with the Cottagers. Aston Villa’s Matty Cash and Hull City’s Matt Crooks have already seen 5 yellow cards this season; they will enforce their ban this weekend.
Vitali Janelt (Brentford), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Pascal Gross (Brighton), Oliver McBurnie (Hull City), Ethan Ampadu (Leeds United) and Harry Maguire (Manchester United) are already on the ropes with four bookings to their name each.
Gallagher, as well as Fernandes, Gray, Van Hecke and Van de Ven, must tread carefully until Matchday 19, played from Friday January 1 to Sunday January 3, when the warning threshold leading to a ban rises from five to 10.
Meanwhile, “Spurs” will face “Arsenal”, “Liverpool”, “Brighton” and “Manchester City”. Although the former Chelsea midfielder has only featured sporadically this season, making just three Premier League starts, he has an admirer in De Zerbi.
The Italian declared his love for Gallagher shortly after taking back the helm in April. De Zerbi said: “I want to see Gallagher again, who I loved back then at Chelsea.”
He added: “I think it’s not that easy for Gallagher because he left Chelsea after a few seasons. He went to Atletico Madrid and now at Tottenham, for Tottenham at the moment.
“He was a leader at Chelsea and now he has to adapt to a new club, new team-mates, new stadium, new everything. I have to help him put Gallagher as a target at Chelsea.”
Then, a few weeks later, after a 2-1 win over Aston Villa to climb out of the relegation zone, De Zerbi said: “When Gallagher plays like that, we play with 12 players because you can find him as a striker, as a midfielder, as a defender – you can find him all over the pitch.
“Great player, great passion, great qualities…”