December 2008, Plymouth was allowed to keep Gallagher for the remainder of his loan. He was a huge impact for the club, scoring 13 goals in 40 league games. Gallagher was hopeful that he would secure a permanent deal with Plymouth after resigning himself to the fact that he was not wanted at Blackburn. Seeing his return to Blackburn as a fresh start, Gallagher was informed by Sam Allardyce he could yet have a future at the club. Leicester City On 21 August 2009, Gallagher signed a three-year deal with Leicester City for an undisclosed fee. Handed the number 24 shirt, Gallagher was "delighted to be here and can't wait to get started." He scored his first two goals for Leicester in a 2–0 win over Crystal Palace on 20 October 2009, coming on as a half-time substitute for Lloyd Dyer. Gallagher failed to score for 17 games before bagging a hat-trick and assisting a goal in a 5–1 win over Scunthorpe United on 13 February 2010. Leaving the field to a standing ovation 7 minutes from the final whistle, it was his first ever professional hat-trick. On 27 February, Gallagher scored from a free-kick in a 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest. His fine form earned him the Championship Player of the Month award for February. On 12 March 2011, Gallagher provided three assists as Leicester beat Scunthorpe 3–0 at Glanford Park, earning praise from manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who believed "he is not far from Beckham in terms of his delivery of set-pieces." He signed a contract extension with the club on 15 March 2011, which would last until the summer of 2015. Gallagher scored two goals in Leicester's 3–0 win over Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium on 20 November 2011. Loan moves In September 2012, Gallagher joined Sheffield United on a month-long loan. He made six appearances for the South Yorkshire club, scoring once during a 2–1 win at Hartlepool United. Despite United seeking to extend his temporary deal, Gallagher returned to his parent club in October. On 30 October 2013, Gallagher re-joined former club Preston North End on loan until 2 January 2014. Gallagher made his début on 2 November against Tranmere Rovers and then scored a hat-trick in his next game against Barnet in the FA Cup. On 21 April, Gallagher scored another hat-trick, this time against Shrewsbury Town. On 5 July 2014, Gallagher again