Tottenham Hotspur left it until late to sign Real Betis playmaker, Giovani Lo Celso, back in the summer transfer window, finally announcing it on deadline day (BBC).
The Argentine only joins Spurs on loan for the season, but the Lilywhites have an option to buy for the summer of 2020, which you would expect them to happily trigger.
However, fresh claims from an agent have revealed that Lo Celso may not have been Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino’s first choice after all.
Claudio Vigorelli, the agent of Nicolo Zaniolo, has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur showed more interest than any other club in the summer with regards to his client.
He also added that Tottenham were interested in the Roma youngster before they took on Giovani Lo Celso.
Vigorelli even made comparisons between Zaniolo and Tottenham legend Paul Gascoigne, stating that they have similar physical qualities but different characters.
Could Spurs go back in for Zaniolo in the future, or does his new Roma contract end the rumours?
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Vigorelli said (Mail): “He renewed with Roma and is fine at Roma but obviously we enjoyed the great interest of Tottenham, who were the runners up in the Champions League.
“Their concrete interest in him shows how good the boy’s season was.
“Spurs thought a lot about Nicolo before taking Lo Celso, they focused their attention on him seriously, more than any other club even beyond the Premier League.
“I can say that only Mauricio Pochettino’s club has carried out such in-depth market analysis in England.
“The boy has a mild character despite what is written and sometimes is said in Italy.
“He is a serious professional on whom Italy will rely on in the future. He was born to be a footballer and wants to do football at great levels.
“[Roma boss Paulo] Fonseca has designed an important role for him and Fonseca has trained young talents very well in the past.
“Zaniolo resembles Gascoigne very much for his physical qualities but he has a much milder character.
“Now Fonseca is playing him in central midfield, a position he likes, where he can render and become just like Gascoigne: devastating with his technique and quality.
“He is a creative player who has pace and muscle, which is a rare commodity in Italy.”
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