Tottenham boss Postecoglou rewarded for ‘blocking’ move as Maddison fix emerges
Ange Postecoglou’s summer transfer decision could finally pay off for Tottenham as they scramble to find a replacement for James Maddison. The red-hot England international’s injury may pave the way for a Giovani Lo Celso renaissance, although the Argentine very nearly spent this season away from north London.
Things have never truly fallen into place for Lo Celso at Spurs. It took a whopping £55million to prise him away from Real Betis in 2019, but the player has since managed only one league goal in 55 appearances.
Lo Celso has not completed a full season at Tottenham since 2020/21, having embarked on two separate loan spells at Villarreal in the meantime. But it could all come together this campaign, with Maddison leaving a huge vacancy to be filled in attacking midfield.
The Englishman, who has started his Spurs career with eight goal contributions in 11 Premier League games, will be out of action until the New Year after coming down with an ankle injury against Chelsea last time out.
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For all of the exciting options in Postecoglou’s squad, attacking midfielders are hard to come by. His options would have been even more depleted if Lo Celso cut his losses and left Tottenham during the summer.
Barcelona reportedly came calling with a last-ditch offer for the Argentina international, but Postecoglou is understood to have intervened and blocked the deal from going through.
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Lo Celso’s numbers are far from inspiring, but his pedigree is undeniable. The 27-year-old was snapped up by Paris Saint-Germain as a youngster, and for all his inconsistency at club level, he is approaching a half-century of caps for the reigning World Cup winners.
He will need to call on that experience if tasked with replacing Maddison over the next few weeks. The Rosario-born maestro may never get a better opportunity to prove his worth in the Premier League, having struggled under former Tottenham boss Antonio Conte.
Postecoglou has improved a number of stars who failed to find their feet under the Italian, including the likes of Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr.
Lo Celso may yet benefit from the same boost if he buys into the former Celtic manager’s ideas, and while he is yet to start in the Premier League this term, his first chance to impress could come against Wolves in Saturday’s early kick-off.
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