Tottenham transfer news: One down three to go, as Villarreal revel in signing ‘specialist’ Lo Celso
Villarreal are clearly ecstatic with their coup after confirming the arrival of Giovani Lo Celso who could be the first of four Tottenham exits in the coming weeks.
The Argentine midfielder, 26, spent the latter half of last season on loan at Villarreal. He thrived working under Unai Emery and was a key factor in Villarreal becoming the surprise package in the Champions League.
Indeed, the Yellow Submarine knocked out both Juventus and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages. Their journey finally came to close at the hands of Liverpool in the semi-finals.
However, his exploits in Spain weren’t enough to force his way into Antonio Conte’s plans once the loan expired.
Conte prefers tough tackling and no-nonsense options in his engine room. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was the perfect player to inherit in that regard. Conte then doubled down by signing Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma in subsequent windows.
The writing was on the wall for Lo Celso and the prospect of another loan switch to Villarreal quickly emerged. Now, both Tottenham and Villarreal have officially confirmed Lo Celso is back in Spain.
A season-long loan deal has been agreed with Fabrizio Romano shedding light on the finer details on Friday.
No option to buy has been included, while Tottenham reserve the right to cut the loan short in January if another team comes in with a permanent offer.
Regardless, Villarreal are clearly overjoyed at their coup, with their official statement reading: “[Lo Celso] has excellent technical ability and a lot of quality.
“He has a fantastic left foot and is a specialist in finding the perfect final pass. He can also dribble with the ball, has great vision and a fantastic shot.”
Lo Celso the first of four Spurs exits?
Sky Sports previously named Lo Celso on a four-man list of first-teamers on the chopping block for the window’s final month.
Sergio Reguilon, Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele completed the list. The latter could also depart via the loan route to Napoli.
Romano reported the Serie A heavyweight have struck a verbal agreement with Spurs regarding a loan capture.
An option to buy would be included and work is now underway regarding the player’s personal terms.
Suitors for Reguilon and Winks are proving harder to come by, though there appears no way back in north London.
All four of Lo Celso, Ndombele, Winks and Reguilon had been training away from the first-team group since the beginning of pre-season.
