Antonio Conte has admitted that Tottenham Hotspur loanee Giovani Lo Celso is a talented footballer, but suggested that he isn’t suitable for Premier League football.
Lo Celso made Tottenham supporters question their club in midweek by turning in a man-of-the-match performance in a Champions League quarter-final for Villarreal against Bayern Munich.
It was the sort of display which made Mauricio Pochettino bring the Argentina to North London during the summer transfer window of 2019.
However, a shortage of form and fitness has made it increasingly difficult for the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder to make a positive impact on Spurs, prompting Conte and Fabio Paratici to loan him out this past January.
And although the Italian manager has reiterated that Lo Celso is a good player, Conte insinuated that he simply isn’t strong enough for the rough and tumble of English football.
He told The Standard: “I never said he’s not a good player. I said this league is very difficult because it is not enough to have great quality and it’s important to play with great intensity and strength. But now he is playing with regularity and I am very happy for him. The club made the right choice, yes.”
Well, strength and intensity certainly weren’t Lo Celso’s strong points at Tottenham, a lot of supporters would admit.
However, these are things that you can improve on.
Having the actual football ability is more than half the battle and if Lo Celso could improve on his running stats, and hit the weights, who knows what could’ve happened.
However, it looks like Conte has made his mind up here.
Lo Celso is due back at Tottenham this summer but, based on these comments, the Italian might not want him.
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