Paul Merson predicts narrow Tottenham win over West Ham if this ‘infectious’ star plays

Paul Merson predicts Tottenham to edge West Ham if Gallagher plays

Both Tottenham and West Ham head into the mouthwatering London derby in dismal run of form. Spurs were knocked out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa last weekend and find themselves 14th in the Premier League table. West Ham, though, did advance to the FA Cup fourth round by beating QPR 2-1, but remain 18th in the league with just 14 points on board.

BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has predicted a narrow win for Spurs over the Hammers in what he expects to be a closely contested encounter between two struggling teams. Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has also predicted a victory for Thomas Frank’s side, provided new signing Gallagher plays. But if he does not, the former Arsenal striker feels West Ham could shock Tottenham 2-1.

“You know what? As a Chelsea fan, I’m not happy with Conor Gallagher joining Tottenham. But what a signing that is! It is just brilliant from a Spurs perspective,” Paul Merson wrote in his preview for Sportskeeda (h/t The Metro).

“The one thing Tottenham struggle with is the lack of legs in midfield. They can’t dominate games because of it and so Gallagher ticks every box. He will be infectious with the others in the sense that he’ll push his teammates to be better.

“I would like to think Gallagher goes straight into the line-up for this game. If he plays, Tottenham will beat West Ham! Spurs fans would demand only one thing from a player now – just work hard. Gallagher gives you that assurance.

“The problem with Tottenham is that they only start playing when they’re losing games. We saw that in the second half against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. It was all done and dusted by the time they turned it on. As I said, Spurs win if Gallagher plays. If he doesn’t, I think West Ham win it 2-1!”

Tottenham have to beat West Ham to give Frank some breathing space

Tottenham share an intense rivalry with West Ham, with their games always played on a knife-edge. Spurs have enjoyed dominance over the Hammers, winning 103 times. The east Londoners, meanwhile, have registered 67 victories, with 56 games ending in a stalemate. The reverse fixture saw Frank’s side batter West Ham 3-0 at the London Stadium back in September. Frank will want to see his boys emulate something similar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Having a tenacious, pressing midfielder like Gallagher in the team would give the hosts the edge in midfield battles and, eventually, the London derby.