Conor Gallagher explains what feels weird at Tottenham for him

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has been speaking about his time at the north London club so far and what is to come this season

Tottenham midfielder Conor Gallagher held his press conference on Friday ahead of the friendly against Chelsea in Sydney.

The 26-year-old will take on his old team Chelsea as Spurs finish their tour of New Zealand and Australia with the first derby against the Blues to be played outside the UK as they take on newcomer Xabi Alonso's side. Gallagher found himself criticised by Tottenham fans in the early months of his time at the club after joining from Atletico Madrid in January.

However, he became an integral part of Roberto De Zerbi's team, with the Italian reminding him of the player he was at Chelsea, and scored an important goal at Aston Villa in the run-in and helped Tottenham remain in the Premier League.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Gallagher out in Sydney. Here's the full transcript from the midfielder's press conference out in Sydney.

Tomorrow night's match is set to be sold out, 80,000 fans at the Accor Stadium. What does it mean to see the level of support that Tottenham have here in Australia?

It's amazing. I didn't quite realise how popular Spurs are in Australia. The fans have been incredible. They've shown a lot of support since we've been here. Even today in training, it was great to have them watch training.

It's really enjoyable. Tomorrow will be really exciting for them and for us. I know there will be a lot of Tottenham fans there and hopefully it will be an exciting match.

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The club have brought in two expensive number eights and you've been playing as a number 10, certainly through pre-season and the end of last season as well. Does it feel like that's going to be your role going into the season as a 10?

To be honest, I'm happy to play anywhere the manager wants to play me. The 10 or number eight in the double pivot, it's fine. I enjoy playing anywhere in midfield. I've found myself in the 10 more often.

It's nice to run forward and I can do what I do best and press well and try and lead from the front. I don't really mind.

You were hitting your stride towards the end of last season, how important is it to take that momentum into this season?

Massive. Obviously, a big reason why I started to perform better was because of the gaffer coming in. It gave me a bit of confidence back and physically I was feeling stronger. Pre-season is really important for me. I want to push on from that and kick on and hopefully help the club to a good season.

A lot of great signings at Tottenham this year. How do you think Spurs are going to go into the season?

Obviously we have made some great signings already, which is really good for the club. Great lads too, not just good footballers, which I think is really important to have the right characters and people with us.

It's only going to make us stronger. We went through a really tough season last season and we are so determined and hungry to improve as a team. Everyone is really excited. It's hopefully going to be a really good season for us.

Will there be competition around you, having so many quality midfielders as Tottenham?

When you play for a club like Tottenham, if there's not competition for a starting XI spot then something is wrong. Obviously that's what comes in playing for such a top club. All the new signings are great lads, like I said. It's been great so far.

You spoke about how the manager lifted you up, you've spoken about Diego Simeone as well, can you tell us about the impact both have had on you?

Honestly, Diego is an amazing manager and what he's done at Atletico is incredible. Different managers, I think, in football, confidence is a massive thing and every player needs to have confidence if you're going to perform well. That's what the gaffer realised with me.

I wasn't playing very well, but he knew what I can do. Obviously, when he was at Brighton and me at Chelsea, we played against each other a lot. He thought I was a good player, so he knew what I had to do to improve and to get that belief back. That's the main thing that has helped me.

In terms of that confidence, does any of that inside you come from the way you ended at Chelsea?

No. Confidence can come and go in a game, but when you get a run at games and you're playing well, you feel fit, you feel strong, you get confidence back and that's the way it was.

Can I just ask you about the feeling of training at the moment ahead of the end of last season?

Yes, it's a lot more enjoyable. Not being in the situation we were last season, obviously like we spoke about, it's a fresh start, fresh players, faces, new way of playing and trying to get everyone on the same page to understand how we play and what the manager wants us to do. So in pre-season, that's what it's all been about. It's just understanding the way we want to play. So we're ready for the season.

Can you see that on your team-mates' faces?

Yes, of course. Everyone's so happy. We've had a great time in Australia. Training's been great. The games have been good. Everyone's in a great mood and we're really looking forward to a big game tomorrow.

Does it feel like a different team compared to last season?

Well, no, because there's a lot of the same people, which is great. Like I said, it's just like a fresh kind of start and everyone's just very excited to make things better.

What lasting impact would you like to have on the young players?

It's weird because it only feels like you have a day when I was 18, 19 and in the same position, so I completely understand where those boys are at and I try and do what I can to set the standards on and off the pitch and show how professional you've got to be. I try and help them as much as I can.

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