Tottenham should never have loaned Alejo Veliz to Sevilla, he’s wasted half a season
Tottenham should never have loaned young striker Alejo Veliz to Sevilla – he has ended up wasting half a season.
The 20-year-old forward was sent to Spain on a temporary deal at the end of the winter window in an effort to give him more first-team exposure.
But the loan deal has backfired badly, with the Argentine barely featuring for the LaLiga side since arriving at the start of February.
Alejo Veliz would have been better off staying at Tottenham
Veliz played eight times in the first half of the season for Spurs, accruing 42 minutes of game-time across a smattering of substitute outings and scoring his first senior goal at the club against Brighton in a 4-2 defeat away from home on 28 December.
In light of that, what followed in Seville can only be described as a waste of several months of the young forward’s development.
Veliz made just five appearances for Sevilla totalling only 29 minutes – fewer than he had been afforded at Spurs – and all but one of those outings lasted six minutes or less.
Given fellow 20-year-old forward Dane Scarlett, who remained at the club rather than going out on loan, made four Premier League appearances as a substitute after Veliz’s departure, it is not unrealistic to assume that the Argentine could have played as much as he did for Sevilla while remaining at Spurs, getting to grips with Ange Postecoglou’s system and developing his relationship with his teammates.
Ultimately, the move has to be seen as a failure – and Tottenham cannot risk hampering their talented youngster’s development any further.
In other Tottenham news, Guglielmo Vicario must kick on after an “outstanding” first season at the club.
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