Tottenham ready to put the brakes on big January exit in move that could do Postecoglou massive favour
Giovani Lo Celso is still a target for Galatasaray
Tottenham are reportedly ready to put the brakes on a proposed January exit for a first-team star who could have a massive role to play in the coming months.
Ange Postecoglou’s side are currently riddled by injuries and suspensions as they look to snap a two-game losing streak against Aston Villa in the Premier League this weekend.
Having been top of the table after 10 games of the campaign, defeats to Chelsea and Wolves now sees the north London side sitting fourth and they could be passed by Villa if the visitors win on Sunday.
Massive injuries to Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and, to a lesser extent, Richarlison have put a huge dent in Tottenham‘s impressive start, while Cristian Romero remains suspended for the next two games along with Yves Bissouma for the Villa clash only.
All that adds up to Postecoglou expecting to be pretty active in the January window, with another centre-back and a striker the main options.
However, outgoings are also expected for players on the fringe of Postecoglou’s first-team set up, one of which is Giovani Lo Celso.
The Argentine has been tipped as a potential replacement for injured Barcelona star Gavi, having performed much better in Spain than he ever has in England.
Lo Celso has spent 18 months of his three-and-a-half-year stay in north London out on loan at Villarreal, but impressed Postecoglou during pre-season.
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Maddison injury opens door for Lo Celso
And while his opportunities have been few and far between due to James Maddison’s outstanding form, the fact the England man will be out until January opens the door for the more creative 27-year-old.
Tottenham’s midfield of Bissouma, Pape Matar-Sarr and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg were devoid of any creativity in the dramatic late loss at Wolves. To that end, Postecoglou is likely to lean on Lo Celso and the returning Rodrigo Bentancur much more over the coming weeks, before and after the festive period.
Add in the fact that Bissouma and Sarr are set to feature for their respective nations at the African Cup on nations in Jnauary, and Spurs will be short on midfield numbers and it will be case of all hands on deck during such a busy time of the year.
With that in mind, Mundo Deportivo’s reports that Barcelona will look to get Lo Celso on board now look doomed to failure.
Lo Celso has scored nine goals in 87 games for Tottenham since his £55m switch from Real Betis in 2020.
