When Mauricio Pochettino was hired by Tottenham to lead their next big project, little did they know the results would surpass all expectations. First, finishing top four, then competing in the Champions League while getting top four, and finally, a Champions League final that all but justified Spurs’ trust in the Argentine manager. This transfer window served as the perfect reward to the relentless work Mauricio has done in the last 5 years. With Ndombele he gets the ideal Dembele replacement and one of the most wanted young midfield talents, and with Giovani Lo Celso, well, he could very well get his next Christian Eriksen.
Player History
Giovanni Lo Celso started his career in Rosario Central, where he caught PSG’s attention. His early career saw him as a deep lying midfielder, where he tried out as holding midfielder, with a very clean and precise first pass to build his team’s attacks. In PSG, his development continued there, where he was placed as a sort of regista. Unfortunately, that experiment failed, so he was tried out in a more advanced role. He showed great associative skills, long range shooting, and most importantly, great timing when it came to attacking the penalty box. He netted 4 goals and provided 7 assists in 38 league appearances, although most were as a substitute.
His speed in the Argentine national team was very positive, being the bright spot in the otherwise mediocre team. To this day, it’s unknown why he didn’t play a single minute in the World Cup.
After being shown the door by PSG, he arrived in Seville where Betis had an exciting project. Then manager Quique Setién used Lo Celso as an attacking midfielder, and quickly became indispensable to the team. In 32 league appearances, he scored 9 goals and assisted 5, becoming his team’s top scorer in the competition. While in the Europa League he was super efficient, scoring 5 and assisting 1 in 7 games played. His rise from being a deep lying playmaker to the attacking, complete player he is today is nothing short of impressive.
Fantasy Football Potential
In terms of fantasy potential, he could become viable, but right now, with Eriksen still in the team, he’s a wildcard. But I presume he’ll eventually earn a spot, although he’d be a firm candidate to being rotated with Ndombele, Eriksen, Dele Alli or Lamela. At £7.5m, his value would depend on weather he can reproduce the numbers shown at Betis. I personally would find it difficult, since he was tasked with being one of their primary goal scorers and assisters. In London he’ll be sharing the dressing room with Kane, Lucas, Son, Eriksen and Alli, so his job will probably be complementary in terms of scoring and assisting.
In conclusion, the player is a fantastic signing by Spurs, and there’s no doubt in my mind he could eventually lock a starting spot. But for now, it’s wait and see. He has the potential to be prolific, but with such a talented squad, there are many mouths to feed, so I’d stick with the reliables (Son, Kane, Eriksen) for now.
Written by @jerryglzh
