Tottenham face £42m transfer reality as Daniel Levy make final decision on super midfielder

It has been a challenging season for the midfielder as a hamstring injury sustained at the end of October saw him miss out on Argentina’s successful World Cup squad. Fighting his way back to fitness in March and getting some regular football under his belt once again, Villarreal have four games remaining before their league campaign draws to a close.

Amid Tottenham’s new head coach search, there will be a question mark hanging over Lo Celso’s head when he returns to the club’s Enfield training base for pre-season training. Lo Celso won’t be the only one in that position as players such as Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Winks and Joe Rodon will all be returning from their respective loan spells with their futures uncertain.

As the new man at the helm will want to take a look at all of his players as he decides on his squad for the new campaign, Lo Celso could even be part of his plans going forward. If not, the Argentine will find himself in the cold at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium once again.

Lo Celso has previously been linked with a move away from Spurs to rival Premier League club Aston Villa ahead of his summer return to N17. It’s not surprising that he’s been linked with a move to Villa Park, given that Villa boss Unai Emery previously managed the midfielder at both PSG and Villarreal.

Emery revealed why the Spanish club made the move to sign the versatile midfielder after signing him in 2022. “Giovani is a player I know because I had him at PSG,” the Spaniard added. “He was fantastic at Betis, which helped him get to Tottenham.” We brought him in when the opportunity arose since he’s

Signed in the summer of 2019 after excelling in Spain with Real Betis, Lo Celso could never replicate the form he showed in Andalusia for Tottenham. Hit by a number of injuries during his time with the Lilywhites and never getting a consistent run in the team in a set position, the midfielder showed glimpses of his quality but it was too few and far between for a player that cost £42m in total after his initial loan move was made permanent in January 2020.

Lo Celso was permitted to leave on loan months into Antonio Conte’s reign, and he was one of four players who trained away from the first-team group last summer as the Italian focused on those who were in his immediate plans. When Lo Celso returns for pre-season training this summer, he will be in the final two years of the five-year contract he signed after signing permanently.

A move that has just not worked out at all, it will be the ideal time to move the player on for good as his valuation, which will now be considerably less than what the club paid out in the 2019/20 season, will only start to decrease as he edges nearer to the end of his Tottenham contract. A huge summer for the football club and one where they can reset and plan for the future after a wretched couple of years, it will be best for both parties to go their separate ways.

Tottenham just cannot enter a fifth season wondering if they will see the best of Lo Celso in 2023/24, as his prior form in N17 has indicated that Spurs are highly unlikely to witness the player who has consistently wowed in La Liga. A move to Villa would undoubtedly present obstacles for Lo Celso, who is more suited to play in Spain than in England, but Emery will be hoping he is the guy who can bring out the best in the Argentine in the Premier League.

Regardless of whether he is a hit for Villa if he moves to the Midlands, Tottenham must move on and build for a brighter future. With a number of moves falling through for Tottenham over the last four years, Daniel Levy and the club will face the harsh reality of the £42 million Lo Celso agreement this summer if he is to go for a lower amount.