Jared Gallagher banks on Thai League route to elusive Lions cap

SINGAPORE – Taped to the wall of Jared Gallagher’s bedroom is a handwritten note from early 2025, listing three goals for the year ahead. They were: To return to the national team, remind everyone he is a No. 6 and maintain a 4.0 grade point average (out of 5) in his degree programme.

By the end of 2025, all three boxes had been ticked. Yet, the 23-year-old is not fully satisfied.

While his main goal of returning to the Lions fold was achieved in September 2025 with his call-up for the friendlies against Malaysia and Myanmar, he has yet to earn his first cap.

As he starts 2026 with a goal to make his first appearance for the Lions, Gallagher is stepping out of his comfort zone.

The central midfielder, who has made nine appearances for Singapore Premier League (SPL) side Albirex Niigata this term, has signed a deal until the end of the season with Thai League 1 outfit Nakhon Ratchasima FC, who are based in north-east Thailand.

It is Gallagher’s first professional overseas stint and he becomes the second Singaporean at the Korat-based club, joining his former national Under-23 teammate Bill Mamadou.

Gallagher was part of the 26-man Singapore squad for the match against Hong Kong for last November’s Asian Cup qualifier, which

the Lions won 2-1 to secure maiden qualification for the continental showpiece

. But he was not in the 23-man match-day team.

“To achieve such a thing for Singapore is great, but obviously, it is bittersweet because I wasn’t part of the playing group,” said Gallagher.

“So that’s on me to go and improve and prove something to the coaching staff and the rest of the team that I am capable enough to contribute.

“So many of my close friends were part of that playing squad. A lot of them made the jump to go overseas and seeing the progression they’ve made since they’ve gone abroad definitely fuelled something in me to take this risk and opportunity to go overseas too.

“When I’m outside my comfort zone, that’s when I know I can get the most out of myself and I grow the most and hopefully it will lead to a cap.”

Gallagher, who thanked Albirex for releasing him despite being contracted until the end of the season with the Jurong East side, was told of Nakhon’s interest in December.

With him completing his bachelor’s degree in social sciences (majoring in communications and new media) at the National University of Singapore in December, the timing was perfect for him to move overseas.

He joins a side embroiled in a relegation battle, with Nakhon rooted to the bottom of the 16-team league. With 15 matches remaining, they sit six points adrift of safety. The bottom three sides will be relegated.

But Gallagher is hopeful that he can be a useful addition and that the fight against the drop could also bring out the best in him.

He said: “I think it’s a different type of pressure. It is something that we don’t ever get to experience in the SPL because that’s just the way the league is structured.

“There’s big pressure to keep the team up, but it’s something I’m going to cherish because these are the type of experiences in football that aren’t easy to come by.

“I just want to show I can do it on a bigger stage. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, to play at a higher level and to show that I’m able to cope, and then to continue improving and growing and play as many minutes as possible.

“If I can help them keep as many clean sheets as possible and help our defenders while, simultaneously, like making the lives of our attackers easier by recycling the ball and doing the dirty work for them, then I’ll be more than happy if we can stay up.”

Gallagher will become the ninth Singaporean to play in the Thai League this season, joining the likes of Harhys Stewart (Uthai Thani), Irfan Fandi (Port FC), Ilhan Fandi (Buriram United), Ryhan Stewart and M. Anumanthan (Kanchanaburi Power). Kyoga Nakamura, who played for Bangkok United, has since joined the Lion City Sailors.

There will be fresh but familiar surroundings for forward Ikhsan Fandi, who will spend the rest of the season back with parent club BG Pathum United after he was recalled from his loan spell with Ratchaburi.

Versatile player Jordan Emaviwe has moved back to Chiangrai United after spending the start of the campaign with Pathum.

National coach Gavin Lee said that he was pleased to see more players overseas and said “stepping out of the comfort zone helps give a bigger chance of improvement both on and off the pitch”.

Lee added: “The player can benefit greatly if such opportunities to be better are taken.

“If more players are willing to take a chance on themselves like Jared is doing, then the bigger the possibilities for improvement, which can only be beneficial for the national team.”