‘Lo Celso can prove a steal for Spurs at £30m’ – Waddle expecting Argentine to flourish in England
The former Tottenham winger is also looking forward to seeing January signing Steven Bergwijn build on an impressive start to his time in north London
Giovani Lo Celso could prove to be a £30 million ($39m) “steal” for Tottenham, says Chris Waddle, with the Argentine midfielder expected to thrive in English football.
The South American saw fitness struggles and competition for places prevent him from making an immediate impact in north London following a loan switch from Real Betis in the summer of 2019.
A change in the dugout has, however, worked in his favour, with Jose Mourinho finding a spark in the 23-year-old that Mauricio Pochettino struggled to light.
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Impressive progress has led to a permanent transfer option being taken up on Lo Celso, with the highly-rated playmaker now tied to a long-term contract.
Waddle is expecting big things from the new boys at Tottenham, with January signing Steven Bergwijn another to have offered early signs of promise.
The ex-Spurs winger told the Racing Post: “Steven Bergwijn couldn’t have enjoyed a more sparkling debut for Tottenham though the player I think who could make even more difference on the run-in is Giovani Lo Celso.
“The Argentinian star is only 23 and struggled to make much of an impact when he first arrived at Spurs.
“But it seems to me that as soon as he knew Christian Eriksen was on his way he thought this is my chance and he’s blossomed.
“He’s hungry, he’s confident, he looks a real player and 18 months from now Tottenham may well be thinking he was an absolute steal at £30m.
“Bergwijn needs to add consistency to his game. You look at him and you see a player who’s good on the ball, can spot a pass, can go past players and can score goals. So you’re immediately wondering why he’s not been snapped up by a bigger club before.
“My sense is that he’ll drift out of games and that might frustrate fans. But if he can sustain his appetite – and with a place in the Holland squad to nail down before the Euros he will certainly be trying – then he’ll be a hit.”
Waddle also feels that an unfortunate injury to Harry Kane may not hit Tottenham’s plans as hard as many first feared, while England stand to benefit from having a fresh skipper for Euro 2020.
The ex-Three Lions star added: “I think Harry Kane’s injury is a blessing in disguise for England – and I don’t think it’s proving such a hindrance for Jose Mourinho either.
“Kane last played a game on New Year’s Day and if you believe Mourinho it’s quite possible he won’t appear again until May.
“From a Tottenham perspective that might sound like a nightmare scenario – although it’s interesting that even without him they are up to fifth in the Premier League and still in the FA Cup.
“From an England perspective going into Euro 2020 we may well be getting a fully fit, fully refreshed Harry Kane leading our line and that would be fantastic news.
“Obviously Gareth Southgate will be having a fairly constant dialogue with Tottenham and Kane and he would obviously like his captain to play a game or two before the season is over.
“But even if Kane is only 80 or 90 per cent fit going into June, Southgate will take him to the Euros because even off the bench he is a match-winner.”
