Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou must make Giovani Lo Celso decision amid contract dilemma
Ange Postecoglou must decide on Giovani Lo Celso’s future at Tottenham with the midfielder set to enter the final year of his contract this summer.
Tottenham paid Real Betis an initial loan fee of £15million for Lo Celso before making the midfielder’s stay at the club permanent for a fee of £27.3million (via The Standard, 28 January 2020).
It represented a total investment of £42.3million, with Lo Celso signing a deal that would keep him in North London until 2025.
That deal remains valid, which means the 27-year-old is set to enter the final year of his Spurs contract when June comes around.
Lo Celso’s time at Tottenham has not been a productive one thus far, with the playmaker scoring just 10 goals and providing eight assists across 99 appearances at the club, and twice being sent out on loan.
He has struggled to make an impact this season under Postecoglou, playing just 420 minutes in the Premier League, which places him 19th in the overall rankings at the club for minutes played (Premier League Official Website).
Amid a difficult campaign, Postecoglou must now decide where Lo Celso’s future lies, with Daniel Levy unlikely to risk losing a player he invested so much money into on a free transfer.
Does Giovani Lo Celso have a future under Ange Postecoglou at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
While Lo Celso hasn’t featured regularly in Spurs colours this season, he continues to be selected for Argentina consistently.
That was no different during the current international break, with Lo Celso starting and scoring in the World Champions’ 3-0 win over El Salvador on Friday (22 March).
Lo Celso added Argentina’s third in the 52nd minute and played his part in the second as his shot was saved before the ball was eventually swept home by Enzo Fernandez in the 42nd minute.
As per Sofascore, Lo Celso completed 89 per cent of his passes, with four of those key, and completed one accurate cross into the box.
Those are the kind of numbers that might convince Postecoglou to give the Argentinian a second chance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, Lo Celso’s contributions elsewhere demonstrate why Postecoglou is perhaps not fully convinced.
Against El Salvador, the former La Liga star only managed to win four of his 11 ground duels, was dribbled past twice and failed with both dribble attempts of his own.
It was a similar story once again as Lo Celso started against Costa Rica on Tuesday (26 March).
Once again he put in a mixed performance, completing 90 per cent of his passes, with two of those key, and winning eight of his 11 ground duels, but also missing one big chance and being dribbled past once.
Postecoglou will need to think long and hard about whether there is room for Lo Celso in his squad going forward, with a decision one way or the other likely to be needed this summer.
In other Tottenham news, Daniel Levy is set for another revenue stream in North London after an update emerged on Tuesday.
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