Why Tottenham shouldn’t hesitate to sign Lo Celso permanently in January
Real Betis vice-chairman Jose Catalan, while talking to Spanish outlet ABC de Sevilla (h/t Football London), explained the circumstances of Tottenham Hotspur loanee Giovani Lo Celso’s future.
Tottenham had signed Lo Celso in the summer from Real Betis on loan, with an option to buy him permanently.
With the season almost nearing midway, Betis vice-chairman has put out the options that Tottenham have with regards to the Argentine’s future at North London.
Lo Celso joined Spanish side Real Betis on a one-year loan deal in the summer of 2018. After playing for one season, Betis made the move permanent by signing him in April earlier this year.
However, four months into the deal, Lo Celso was once again shipped off to London on deadline day this past summer, with an option to buy permanently.
The Argentine has had a rather turbulent time since arriving at Tottenham, with injuries pushing him to the sidelines.
With doubts still hanging regarding the playmaker’s role at Tottenham, Catalan has reminded the North London outfit of the plethora of options they have at their disposal.
Currently, Tottenham have the following options in front of them. If they wish to keep Lo Celso, they could exercise the option of buying him permanently during the January window for a fee of around €32million.
Else, the Lilywhites have a second option where they could put pen to paper and buy him in the summer for a price of €40million.
However, under the second option, there is a sub-option, which mentions that Tottenham will have to sign him mandatorily for the same amount if they qualify for the Champions League next season.
A clever bargain from Betis indeed, Tottenham would be better off signing the midfielder during the winter as they could save close to €8million and still hope to qualify for the European competition.
Moreover, Lo Celso is a clear talent as it is quite evident from his impressive displays during the loan spell at Betis.
The Argentine scored 16 goals and provided 6 assists from a total of 45 appearances in his debut season with the Spanish side. However, since arriving in North London he has made just 9 appearances, of which 2 have come in the Champions League.
With summer signing Tanguy Ndombele yet to hit form and Englishman Harry Winks clearly not at his best, it remains to be seen if the Argentine would be offered more chances in the middle.
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However, it is too early for Tottenham to pass judgement on the midfielder, as he has not been offered much game time so far. Hence, it would be wise of them to keep him and assess his performance in the coming days.
Verdict
After his heroics with Betis last year, it is clear that Lo Celso clearly has no dearth in talent. Therefore, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy must extend the player’s stay at the club if he wishes to make the best out of this deal.
Also given the tricky clause in existence, Tottenham could save some money if they splash the cash in January rather than wait for an uncertain future.
