Same time again next year, right Tottenham Hotspur fans?
It has become something of an annual tradition in North London.
From Valencia in 2022 to Sevilla in 2023, Bryan Gil now adds Girona to the ever-growing list of La Liga clubs he has joined on loan from Tottenham. The question is, will this latest short-term deal result in a permanent departure? Or will he be back again next summer, with his future once again uncertain.
Gil struggled to really make an impression at Valencia or after returning to former employers Sevilla.
Spurs will be hoping that history does not repeat itself at Girona. Not with the prospect of a £12 million windfall later down the line, per Fabrizio Romano.
Fortunately, Girona have quite the track record when it comes to signing players down on their luck and putting smiles back on faces.
Bryan Gil leaves Tottenham Hotspur for Girona loan
Brilliantly buccaneering under head coach Michel, the Catalan outfit secured Champions League qualification for the very first time last season with Daley Blind, Cristhian Stuani and ex-Spurs goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga playing key roles.
Girona have since offered Donny van de Beek an escape route from his Manchester United nightmare.
The signings of Van de Beek and Bryan Gil – two players who’s reputations have taken a battering on the bench in England – reflects the faith Girona have in their project and the influential Michel.
“I am very happy that he is here because he has the qualities that we need as a winger,” sporting director Quique Carcel says during Gil’s official presentation, broadcast on YouTube.
“He is a player who comes to provide depth and play on the wing.”
Carcel admits that Girona attempted to lure Gil – who was also a target for Feyenoord – to the Montilivi back in 2023. They finally got their man, one year on.
The director also claims that Tottenham initially demanded an option-to-buy clause far in excess of the fee Girona were capable of paying.
Gil, dubbed the ‘Beatle of Barbate’ due to his Lennon-esque haircut, could become the most expensive signing in Girona’s history if he impresses enough to justify the triggering of that 15 million euro clause.
“They (initially) wanted the purchase option to be very high. Inaccessible for us,” Carcel adds. “We have reached an agreement with the agents and, if Bryan has a good year, we will have more access to be able to sign him.”
Spurs could finally sell their forgotten man
Still only 23, Gil was likened to Neymar when joining Tottenham back in 2021 from Sevilla with Erik Lamela moving in the other direction. He set Spurs back an eye-watering £21 million.
Despite his obvious technical ability, however, the silky Spaniard appeared to lack the required physicality to cope with the Premier League.
Opportunities proved to be as hard to come by alongside Ange Postecoglou as they were under Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho, stating only two top-flight matches in 2023/24.
“It is a destination that every player would want to choose and it is a young team with ambition, which is growing in terms of sport,” Gil says of his decision to choose Girona.
“As you play in clubs you gain experience and that has helped me a lot. I would like to improve my scoring, but I am looking to get minutes and give my best.”
Gil will aim to help offset the loss of Savio, the winger who joined Man City for a cool £33 million.
“(Savio) is a player who had an exceptional year. There is no need to compare (me to him),” Gil adds. “The beauty is healthy competition and everyone knows what he did. He is a player I admire.
“I can’t be in a club where I don’t get minutes. I want to be somewhere where they really trust me.”
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