Tottenham News Scout: Argentine Alejo Veliz must now adapt to Tottenham and English Football
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome Matthew Chadder as our exclusive columnist for our ‘Spurs Scout’ features. Each week, he’ll be providing his expertise on researching players to give insight on the biggest talking points at Spurs…
Many players have arrived in England from the Argentinian League and struggled to make an impact, while some have been a success, and Tottenham will be hoping for the latter as they close in on Alejo Veliz.
Julian Alvarez has been a welcome addition to the ranks at Manchester City and made a significant contribution to their treble. Meanwhile, Jonathan Calleri played for West Ham in 2016 and struggled to make an impact in the Premier League.
Players arriving from South America can often prove to be hit and miss with the style and quality of football so different on the continent than it is in Europe. Some of the game’s biggest stars have come from the likes of Argentina and Brazil, but there have also been some real failures.
Tottenham now appear set to take that gamble on themselves. The club have often had players of Argentine heritage, such as the likes of Ricardo Villa, Osvaldo Ardilles and Erik Lamela right through to the current squad with Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso.
And Romero and Lo Celso might now have a fellow Argentinian set to join them in the changing rooms at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fabrizio Romano has reported via Twitter (3 August) that Veliz will join the North London side on a long-term deal from Rosario Central, with the 2003-born striker’s medical set to take place in the coming days.
Here, Spurs Scout has been identifying whether Veliz is set to be the next Alvarez of Manchester City or Calleri of West Ham, and what exactly he might bring to Tottenham.
Superpower – Natural goalscorer
Veliz appears to be one thing and pretty much one thing only; an out-and-out goalscorer who will lead the line and will often find the back of the net.
Despite still only being 19 years of age, Veliz has begun to feature regularly for Rosario in the Argentinian League this season and has scored 11 goals in 1,792 minutes of football in the league, which equates to a goal every 162 minutes.
Considering his age and lack of first-team experience, this is an impressive return. He also performed well internationally at the recent Under-20 World Cup where, in spite of Argentina’s struggles as a team, he managed to score three times in four matches.
A look at some of his goals shows the types of positions the youngster picks up and causes danger from.
In the above image, the ball (which has a red square around it) has been played out wide to the winger and Veliz (highlighted in yellow) makes a smart run into the box, toward the back post along the path of the arrow.
Moments later, the ball is played across the box and Veliz is on hand at the far post to tap it in. This is a prime example of the type of striker that Veliz is, and it is demonstrated once again through another goal scored by the player.
In this image, the winger has the ball (highlighted in yellow) out wide and is taking on the full-back. Meanwhile, in the box, Veliz is behind the defender and sees the space in front of him, and bursts forward toward it.
His clever movement leaves him free in the box and the cross finds him, allowing him to head home unchallenged.
The analysis of his goals clearly showcases the type of striker Veliz is but the question remains, will he slot into Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Spurs side effectively?
Weakness – Limited skillset
Of course, with the player being so young and not yet having had a chance to develop his game and prove himself in Europe, it might be harsh to judge him on his limitations. However, having said that there do appear to be some.
As per stats provided by WhoScored, it is clear that Veliz as of now is a target man and not much more. The striker averages 2.7 shots per game, which suggests he is usually busy in front of goal, but in contrast, only makes 13.5 passes each match on average, with a successful passing accuracy of just 65.2 per cent.
He stands slightly above 6ft and is someone who scores plenty of his goals with his head, and often plays with his back to the goal as he looks to hold up the ball.
Tim Vickery, the South American correspondent for BBC Sport, appeared on Sky Sports News, the video of which has been posted to their official YouTube channel (3 August), to discuss Veliz’s potential move to North London and shared some of his concerns.
“He (Veliz) scored some goals with some towering headers, that’s what he does best, and he can lead the line, but I didn’t see enough there to make me think ‘yes, this is a player who is ready for the Premier League,” Vickery told Sky.
“I am unconvinced that this is someone who could step in straight away, and do well in the Premier League.”
Where would Veliz fit in at Tottenham?
If Veliz is coming in as Kane’s immediate replacement, then supporters might start to become a little worried that the money is not being reinvested correctly.
In contrast, if he is just arriving as a player the club are aiming to develop in the long-term, and is not someone for right now, then this is a brilliant bit of business.
Furthermore, the player could fit Postecoglou’s system down to a tee, with the Australian coach dependent on wing play, which benefits strikers who can pick up good positions in the box and are a threat in the air. Perhaps Postecoglou himself has had a big say in this transfer.
How much will Veliz cost?
The reported finances involved in the deal suggest that it is actually not too much of a gamble for Spurs to make.
As per Romano’s tweet, the total package will cost Tottenham around £12million with some potential add-ons. While this isn’t going to break the bank, some fans might be questioning why this money is not being put toward a new central defender, which is currently a much bigger priority.
Daniel Levy must clearly have a plan if he is willing to spend some money on a young, unproven striker when there are currently bigger fish to fry.
Should Tottenham sign Veliz?
As long as the player is not coming in as an immediate replacement for Kane, or perhaps as an immediate understudy for Richarlison should the England captain leave, and providing it doesn’t affect the signing of a brand new centre-back, then it is a smart bit of business which makes sense.
Under Postecoglou the player could certainly develop and might be seen as a very lucrative long-term investment.
There is plenty there to be excited about for the future, but if they’re looking to replace their club-record goalscorer, they’re going to need to aim just a little bit higher.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs Scout has identified that now is the time to finally sell Tanguy Ndombele.