A general translation of ‘Celso’ gives us words such as ‘high’ and ‘lofty’; it also symbolises hope and ambition. Hope was definitely high when we signed Lo Celso, initially on loan, from Real Betis in 2019 (TransferMarkt).
Christian Eriksen had made it clear that he no longer saw his future in North London and would soon depart for Inter Milan, and it was hoped that our new ‘lock picker’, would be the Argentinian.
Indeed, there was excitement all around that summer when Tottenham brought in a highly sought-after young Frenchman Tanguy Ndombele, explosive Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn and supposed ‘generational talent’ Ryan Sessegnon. Oh summer of 2019, how foolish you made us look! Of the four, the only one who possibly has a future with the club this season is the Argentinian.
Things did not start well for Lo Celso at Spurs. He arrived injured and by November of that year, the current manager of Chelsea had been removed from his job (BBC Sport). The roles these new signings were supposed to play in the post-Champions League Final Tottenham rebuild would never come to light.
In drove Jose Mourinho (in a bus) armed with defensive football and an obsession with sitting (unsuccessfully) on 1-0 leads, and out went attacking football and supporter happiness. The potential new attacking Pochettino era was over; killed in its tracks.
Following Mourinho’s unceremonious departure just before the League Cup Final, two other defensive-minded managers followed, before the arrival of Ange Postecoglou. Yet due to Tottenham’s startling inability to sell players, Lo Celso is still at the club despite being seen as surplus to requirements by Jose, Nuno and then Antonio.
So finally, we have come full circle and are at a place where Lo Celso is finally paired with an attack-minded manager. However, does that mean we will finally see the flamboyant, creative best that he has been shown only for the likes of Argentina and Villareal over the past four years?
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Could Lo Celso earn a spot in the Postecoglou XI?
The first question that has to be asked is: Does he want to give it another shot at Tottenham? It must be frustrating for Lo Celso every time a new manager walks through the door and the same questions up over and over. Does the manager trust him? Can he fit into the new formation? Where does he fit into the team?
The honest truth, in my opinion, is that Tottenham have failed Lo Celso during his time at the club. The manager who signed him was acrimoniously dispatched, and his subsequent replacements did not know how to utilise him.
He has played an array of positions in midfield and in the forward line, but never cemented a regular place. Indeed, playing in the same position for several games in a row would have felt like a win for Gio! Tottenham has not been a happy place for him.
By contrast, if Lo Celso returns to Spain he is a known quantity and is respected and valued as a player. There are no question marks over his ability or suitability to the league. As supporters, we are very excited by the prospect of Ange-Ball, but for Lo Celso is it just another dawn, false or otherwise?
There is definitely interest from Spain. Xavi apparently named the Argentinian as a potential new signing (The Sun), but their offer, if one was ever made was probably close to a hugely reduced price, an unwanted academy player and a tour of the Nou Camp when it finally reopens.
Positively, noise from the club suggests that Gio is open to staying. “He fits the way we play. I enjoy working with him and he seems to enjoy working with us.” Was Ange’s assessment of Gio during preseason (The Standard).
The key word here is ‘seems’ as Lo Celso appears somewhat of a closed book, but judging by his demeanour on preseason, he maybe be coming around to the idea that ‘the times they are a changing’ in N17.
So how would he fit in a Postecoglou system? For Gio the answer is simple. As one of the adventurous eights in the three-man midfield. I spoke to professional football coach, Coach B (@InvertTheWing) about what we can expect from Lo Celso. All quotes in the last section of this article come from him.
“Lo Celso will blossom in a system where he can play freely, but at the same time not be the only source of generating an attack.”
By having multiple creative outlets, hopefully, Gio will find he has more time on the ball. Like another ex-Spur and Argentinian Erik Lamela, I always felt that Lo Celso needed that extra split second on the ball that you cannot afford to have in the Premier League. Maybe that was down to the system? Also, it’s harder to quickly disperse the ball if you only have one or two outlets to look for.
In our two preseason games, admittedly against lower-level opposition, Lo Celso has looked very comfortable in the new system. He has found pockets of space to operate in and has been adept at moving the ball on either out wide or filtering the ball through to the forwards. It was also noticeable how he was taking fewer touches and recycling the ball a lot faster.
Like Maddison, he has also found himself in the box and able to have attempts at goal. This is a player who does know where the goal is. In his last season at Real Betis, he scored 16 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions (Wikipedia) – if we could unlock this player, then we really are in business.
Many supporters, myself included, see Lo Celso operating as an alternative to Maddison in the formation. However, others see another opportunity, with Ange Postecoglou deploying the pair in tandem in a similar manner to which, De Bruyne and David Silva used to operate for City.
In this system, Lo Celso would have a higher impact in the “build-up play and making the pre-assist, rather than just being judged by his assist and goal numbers.” The prospect, although theoretical, is mouth-watering.
One thing we have to address is Gio’s injury record, especially in England. Whilst being at Tottenham he has suffered injuries to his: knee, hamstring, thigh and hip amongst others. In total missing 45 matches between 2019-2022 (when not on loan).
Before moving to Tottenham, he did not appear to struggle with injuries, and since being on loan he has only had one significant injury – the one that prevented him being part of Argentina’s successful World Cup squad (TransferMarkt).
The optimist in me would like to think he is a more robust player and his injury woes are behind him, yet a part of me wonders whether his body can stand up to the high intensity and physicality of the Premier League week in and week out. In his favour, this time round is that he has had a smooth preseason and hopefully this will positively impact on the year ahead.
Only time will tell whether we will see a Lo Celso renaissance this year. Some think Lo Celso could have the season of his life and perform in a way we have yet to see him perform in a Tottenham shirt. I am yet to be totally convinced, but I really want to be. If you are highly rated as a teammate by Leo Messi, surely that means something?
Tottenham have had a rich history of Argentinians in the past; will Lo Celso end up regarded like someone like Lamela – moments of brilliance but sometimes flattered to deceive, or will he edge closer to the rarified air of someone like an Ardiles? I doubt he will reach Ossie levels of greatness, but somewhere in the middle will definitely be good to see.
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