Bryan Gil receives a boost which could save his Tottenham career

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You’d be forgiven for wondering if Bryan Gil had smashed up a veritable Hall of Mirrors, such was his bad luck.

Gil arrived at Tottenham Hotspur amid much fanfare during the summer of 2021, having established himself as one of La Liga’s brightest young talents during a fabulous loan spell at Eibar. A few weeks later, the manager who brought him to North London – Nuno Espirito Santo – was replaced by a man who prefers experience over exuberance, Antonio Conte relegating Gil immediately to a backseat role. 

Some 18 months further down the line, another sudden managerial departure once again appeared to leave Gil in a rather awkward position. It is no secret that Jorge Sampaoli – who also coached Gil during his first spell in Andalusia – was a major factor in the winger’s return to Sevilla during the January window. 

“In 2017, Bryan Gil was with us (training with the first-team). Bryan arrived and he was very young. He ended up being an outstanding player. I loved him,” Sampaoli said recently, admitting that he tried and failed to sign the Spain U21 star during his time in French football too.

“I wanted to take him to Olympique de Marseille.”

“Seville is his home,” adds Alfonso Gil, the 21-year-old’s father. “Sampaoli had been (chasing) him for three years.” 

Bryan Gil on loan at outfit Sevilla from Tottenham Hotspur

But, like Nuno back in 2021, the sacking of Sampaoli on Thursday afternoon means Gil has once again been denied the opportunity to kick on under the coach who played such an important role in his signing. But it’s not all bad. Sampaoli’s replacement at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan is none other than Jose Luis Mendilibar. 

The man who, during that glittering Eibar spell, coaxed far more out of the ‘Beatle of Barbate’ than any of his coaches before or since. 

“It’s a great signing for Tottenham and a good step for Bryan,” Mendilibar told Marca following Gil’s £21 million move to North London. 

“Someone may think what he’s going to do with that little body. But Bryan is a different player; skilled, fast, with guts.

“When David (Silva) arrived in the Premier League, I heard a Manchester City player saying that he was small. And look what he has been doing for 10 years!”

The admiration between player and coach, meanwhile, is a two-way street.

“The Mendilibar DNA was so good for me at Eibar,” Gil told SportsFinding. “He instilled in me to be more intense, to be more aggressive.” 

If Bryan Gil hopes to return to his parent club in the summer and make his mark at last – and the departure of Antonio Conte could help in that regard – another few months by Mendilibar’s side should do him no harm at all.