Premier League loanee Bryan Gil is thriving in a new-look role at Sevilla with Tottenham Hotspur misfit making a difference at wing-back, Spanish football expert Terry Gibson tells El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast.
One of the greatest obstacles facing Gil in North London is that there never appeared to be an obvious place for him in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-2-1 formation. He impressed sporadically on the right-hand side but, for the most part, always looked like a slightly awkward fit.
Now however, with Gil adapting impressively to a left-sided wing-back role for Jorge Sampaoli at Sevilla, it’s tempting to wonder how differently his Tottenham career might have panned out if he had been afforded in a run of games in a similar position under Conte; a coach who has built his success on a wing-back system.
Gil came off the bench during Sevilla’s 2-1 Andalusian derby victory over UD Almeria last time out. His first assist for the relegation-threatened club could hardly have been better timed; a picture-perfect cross converted, ironically enough, by the man who moved in the other direction when Tottenham paid Sevilla £21 million back in 2021, a certain Erik Lamela profiting from Gil’s devilish delivery.
Tottenham’s Bryan Gil shining on loan at Sevilla
“I don’t know what (Sampaoli’s) best line-up is at the moment. I’m not sure he does, because it changes from game to game. In this case, his changes made a difference and they worked,” says Gibson, the former Spurs forward.
“Bryan Gil played particularly well. Gil played wing-back but he played like a winger; got wide, got the cross in for Lamela and did some good work other than making the goal.”
Conte’s contract is expiring. Tottenham are already putting together a long-list of potential replacements. Gil, then, may soon be handed a clean slate and a fresh start in North London. And he may just return to England a more confident, more mature and more versatile player; Sampaoli helping add another string to his bow.
“He defended as a fifth defender and attacked as a winger,” Sampaoli told Marca recently.
“Bryan, in his previous teams, played as an inverted winger (cutting in from the right). Here, we see many conditions for him to play and help. In the 3-1-6 formation, he linked the attack.
“Defensively, he helped as fifth defender (slotting in as a wing-back), and he really did it very well, against a winger who has just had a great season like Pablo Maffeo. So, I appreciate not only Bryan’s performance, but also the generosity with which he played.”
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