Tottenham Hotspur have decided to loan out midfielder Giovani Lo Celso to Villarreal – and it looks like he’s shining over in Spain.
A major signing for Mauricio Pochettino, Lo Celso ended up costing Tottenham £42million; £15million for a loan and £27million for a permanent deal.
Lo Celso impressed in his first season at Tottenham but gradually faded out of the side and away from prominence in North London.
Antonio Conte seemingly didn’t fancy Lo Celso, making him available in January after leaving him out of the squad to face Chelsea.
Villarreal swooped in to take Lo Celso on loan until the end of the season as the Argentinian looks to get his career back on track.
On Saturday, Lo Celso started just behind Arnaut Danjuma in the Villarreal attack. This is the kind of role Lo Celso played with Real Betis, a very attacking role with a little more freedom than he was given at Tottenham.
Villarreal beat Granada 4-1 in a superb performance, with Danjuma stealing the show with a fine hat-trick.
Lo Celso played 69 minutes before being taken off for Alberto Moreno, and the Spanish press have been hailing the Argentinian.
Spanish newspaper Marca raved about Lo Celso during their coverage of the game, claiming he put in a ‘great performance’.
They also added that Lo Celso was playing at a ‘high level’ throughout the game, showing ‘tremendous’ passing ability in the final third.
That’s the kind of player we all know Lo Celso can be, but he just wasn’t showing it for Tottenham.
Whether that was poor suitability for the Premier League or a lack of opportunities, Lo Celso just wasn’t cutting it with Spurs.
Back in Spain, Lo Celso appears to be enjoying his football again – and Tottenham may well hope it leads to a permanent deal this summer.
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