According to the Metro, Tottenham are finally set to complete the signing of Argentinian attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso from Real Betis for a fee of around £45million. Reportedly Spurs have been chasing the signature of the youngster all summer. Betis originally demanded a fee of around £88million for Lo Celso.
However, now that Betis have signed French attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir from Lyon, the Spanish club are willing to allow Lo Celso to leave for a lesser fee. The Argentinian international is reportedly hoping to complete the move to Spurs in order to work with compatriot Mauricio Pochettino.
Lo Celso impressed at Real Betis
The 23-year-old joined Real Betis on-loan from PSG last summer and impressed enough to complete a £20million permanent move in April. The Argentinian scored nine times and produced four assists in 33 appearances for the Seville-based outfit.
His performances for Betis also earned the attacking midfielder a place in the Argentina squad for the Copa America, where his side suffered a semi-final exit against hosts and eventual winners Brazil.
Where will he fit into the Tottenham starting line-up?
No doubt Lo Celso is a promising player and could be a great signing for the club from north London. However, there is a big question about where Lo Celso will fit into the Spurs starting line-up.
Lo Celso is versatile, as he can play in central midfielder, on the left flank and also as a number ten, the role he operated in at times for Argentina at Copa America. Tottenham are strong in the attacking midfield areas, with the likes of Christian Eriksen, Heung Min-Son, Lucas Moura and Dele Alli all available to boss Pochettino.
Eriksen had previously been linked with a big-money move away from the club, with Real Madrid strongly linked with the Danish international. However, it now appears likely that the former Ajax star will stay in north London.
If Eriksen stays, that gives boss Pochettino the opportunity of playing Eriksen or Lo Celso in a midfield two alongside a more defensive-minded player and the other in a more advanced role. The fact that both players are versatile is a big bonus to the signing of Lo Celso.
From the outside, at £45million, in the current market, he could turn out to be a very shrewd signing for the club from north London. His versatility will add to his value.
Tottenham may be closer to the top teams next season
Tottenham finished last season in fourth place in the Premier League. To be fair to Pochettino’s side they did suffer a number of key injuries during the campaign and also had one eye on their Champions League campaign.
The signing of Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon and the potential addition of Lo Celso certainly improve their chances of mounting a stronger title challenge next season. Manchester City and Liverpool are still, the favourites for the title next season. However, Tottenham should finish closer to the pair if they avoid the likes of injury that Harry Kane picked up towards the end of last season.
Will Giovani Lo Celso be a success at Tottenham?
