Reports linking Tottenham Hotspur and Everton with a summer move for Diego Rossi will come as no surprise to at least one of his Los Angeles FC teammates.
Speaking to the LA Times recently, Carlos Vela insisted it was only a matter of time before the Uruguayan forward was leaving the MLS behind and making the lengthy journey across the Atlantic.
“I have a great friendship with Diego. He is young, so I think I have to help him mature,” said Vela, the former Arsenal striker who, with 62 goals in 84 games at LAFC, has thrived on the other side of the pond where the likes of Steven Gerrard flopped.
“In my mind, I have no doubt Diego will leave for Europe soon. I am trying to teach him what I have experienced and he will go to Europe and have a career there,” Vela added.
Can MLS star Rossi make it at Everton or Tottenham?
According to The Telegraph, 23-year-old, Montevideo-born Rossi could soon be breezing past defenders for a club just a few miles down the road from the one where Vela started his professional career in the mid-2000s.
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Tottenham, who are expected to hire Paulo Fonseca in the coming days, are battling Premier League rivals Everton for the signature of a man who has found the net 21 times in his past 31 games in the US.
Rossi even outscored Vela in 2020 – and not many in the MLS can say that, although a ligament injury did keep LAFC’s veteran forward out of action for some time.
As a certain Miguel Almiron will tell you, however, adapting to life in the Premier League isn’t easy, even for a man who made the MLS look like child’s play.
Vela is certain Rossi will move to Europe sooner rather than later. Whether Rossi can thrive there, however, is a question only the player himself can answer.
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