Declan Patrick Gallagher (born 13 February 1991) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Scottish Championship club Dundee United and the Scotland national team.
Gallagher started his career at Celtic but never made a first team appearance, however he was involved in their Scottish Youth Cup win in 2010. He was then sent out on loan to Stranraer to gain some first team experience. Despite impressing while on loan, he was released and was signed by Clyde before moving on to join Dundee. After experiencing a relegation followed by a promotion in two seasons at Dens Park, he joined Livingston in 2014.
In 2016, Gallagher was imprisoned for more than a year for assault which took place three years earlier. Gallagher returned to Livingston after his release from jail, and he played regularly during their consecutive promotions to the top division between 2017 and 2018. After moving to Motherwell in summer of 2019, he made his Scotland debut in November of that year. Gallagher helped Scotland qualify for UEFA Euro 2020 and was selected for their tournament squad. After spells with Aberdeen and St Mirren, Gallagher joined Dundee United in July 2023.
Career
Celtic, Stranraer loan
Born in Rutherglen and raised in Blantyre, Gallagher (who also spent time in the setup at Hamilton Academical) signed for Celtic at a young age and played for the under-19s. He became a regular in the team and played the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 victory over Rangers in the 2010 Scottish Youth Cup final. While at Celtic, Gallagher says he trained with the first team, which "helps [my] match sharpness".
He went out on loan to Stranraer in 2010–11. Gallagher made his senior debut in a 9–0 win over St Cuthbert in the Scottish Cup and scored his first senior goal two weeks later as Stranraer beat Queen's Park 3–1. On 20 November 2010, he scored his second goal in five matches to help Stranraer beat Girvan 4–2 in the Scottish Cup. Gallagher scored his final goal for Stranraer in a 3–2 loss to Montrose on 16 April 2011 and played his final game for the club as they defeated Clyde 3–0. Stranraer finished fifth, just missing out on a play-off place.
Despite impressing while on loan, Gallagher was told he was not needed by Celtic, putting a number of clubs on alert. According to his teammate Nicky Riley, Gallagher left the Glasgow club "for the sake of his career". After being released, he went on trial with Partick Thistle.
Clyde
On 9 August 2011, Gallagher signed for Clyde. He made his debut for the Bully Wee against Annan Athletic in a 2–2 draw and thereafter became a key player for the club. He scored his first goal for Clyde as they hammered East Stirlingshire 7–1 at Broadwood. On 21 April 2012, he scored a last minute equaliser against Peterhead. During the 2011–12 season, Gallagher missed ten games due to injury. At the end of the season, he had made 26 appearances and scored twice for Clyde.
Dundee
On 1 June 2012, Gallagher signed for an undisclosed fee for newly promoted Scottish Premier League (SPL) club Dundee, along with Carl Finnigan, after Rangers were removed from the league's membership, creating a space in the SPL. One of his new teammates was former Celtic youth colleague Nicky Riley. When joining Dundee, Gallagher stated that he never thought he was going to play in the top flight and the experience of playing in the SPL was "brilliant".
He made his debut in a League Cup 0–0 draw against Peterhead (Dundee won on penalties); he also played in the next round of the tournament, a defeat to Queens Park at Hampden. Gallagher became a regular in the first team and was paired in the centre of defence with Kyle Benedictus by manager Barry Smith. In a match against Hearts on 2 November 2012, Gallagher made an impressive display during the match and was praised by the manager and teammate Riley. Gallagher played against his former club Celtic on 26 December 2012 as Dundee lost 2–0. In the last 16 of the Scottish Cup, Gallagher scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 win over Greenock Morton. However, he was unable to prevent the club's relegation to the Scottish Championship.
In his second campaign at Dundee, Gallagher scored his first league goal in a 4–3 loss against Queen of the South in the opening matchday. Two weeks later, on 30 August 2013, he scored again, in a 3–0 win over Livingston. He scored two goals in two matches as Dundee beat Hamilton Academical 3–0 in late November and Morton 2–1 in early December.