One of the (many) unanswered questions Tottenham Hotspur needs to answer this summer is the future of Giovani Lo Celso. Gio was purchased for Mauricio Pochettino the same summer as Tanguy Ndombele, right before everything fell apart. Since then, Gio has been in and out of the team, eventually settling on “out” under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Conte in particular wanted nothing to do with him, and Gio was loaned to Villarreal for the entirely of this season.
But he’s still a Tottenham Hotspur player until June of 2025, and so Tottenham need to figure out what to do with him. Pursuant to that, there are rumors coming out of the Argentina football media that suggests Aston Villa could be a possible destination for him, if Tottenham want to sell him. Argentina journalist Gaston Edul, via Albiceleste Talk, is saying just that, implying that Unai Emery would very much like to bring him to the Midlands this summer.
It does bring up an interesting situation. We don’t know yet who Tottenham will be hiring as their next permanent manager, but all signs are pointing towards a head coach who plays a markedly different style of football to that of either Mourinho or Conte. And truth be told, Spurs currently have a Giovani Lo Celso shaped hole in their midfield, one that could be filled by… well, Giovani Lo Celso. He’s a good player, even if he’s been a square peg in a round hole for the past three seasons or so. I hardly blame Gio for two defensive managers deciding that he’s not what they want in their sides.
That’s assuming that he’s not just completely over Tottenham and wants out, which is a very real possibility. However, I do wonder whether with the right coach in place that person could convince Gio to stick around, so long as he’s given assurances that he’d actually play.
I don’t know. I think Gio would be FANTASTIC for Aston Villa, and if Villa make an offer there’s a good chance they could get some decent money for him this summer. That said, I think there’s also a universe where Spurs hold onto, and even play, Lo Celso with a coach and in a system that actually suits him. Or to put it another way, instead of buying a new Lo Celso, maybe we should just keep the one we have? I’m a known Gio apologist, but I think I’d rather live in that alternate reality, to be honest.
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