When Ange Postecoglou was appointed last summer, it spoke of a fresh start for Tottenham Hotspur, who had languished to an eighth-placed Premier League finish and were resigned to the departure of record scorer Harry Kane.

So far, it's been a mixed bag but not one without promise, with a blistering start to the campaign ravaged by injuries and suspensions.

Still, influential summer signings Micky van de Ven and James Maddison had both picked up injuries that ruled them out for over two months, with others also picked off; this was a key factor behind the slump.

Both fit and firing once again, Postecoglou's success in the transfer market is highlighted through their value and, given time, his dynasty will take shape.

More deadwood needs to be shipped out first though, and while he has enjoyed something of a mini-revival this season, Giovani Lo Celso is unlikely to have a long-term future in north London.

Giovani Lo Celso's transfer fee

Way back in August 2019, Tottenham agreed a £55m fee with La Liga outfit Real Betis for the transfer of Lo Celso, joining on a six-month deal before making the permanent leap the following January, having impressed through his ball-playing ease and creativity in possession.

The Argentina international arrived off the back of Mauricio Pochettino's side's agonising defeat in the Champions League final against Liverpool but signalled a statement of intent, with Tanguy Ndombele also joining from Lyon that summer in a £63m move.

Injuries punctuated Lo Celso's first term in English football and he only made 15 Premier League starts, but his time on the pitch was underwhelming and set the tone for a miserable few years of mediocrity.

Despite being hailed as a "top player" by former boss Antonio Conte, Lo Celso fell out of favour with multiple bosses and joined Villarreal on loan midway through the 2021/22 season, re-joining the Spanish side for the duration of the 2022/23 campaign.

Returning to the fold last summer, he was handed a fresh start under Postecoglou and, in fairness, has probably enjoyed his brightest period down at N17.

Giovani Lo Celso's season in numbers

Returning after amassing 51 appearances across his year-and-a-half with the Yellow Submarine, Lo Celso failed to feature across the early stage of Tottenham's exciting new era, but he has since wedged his way into the first-team plans and has played 13 times in total.

As per FBref, the 5 foot 9 ace ranks among the top 3% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 10% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for pass completion, passes attempted and progressive passes and the top 6% for tackles made per 90.

So, evidently, he's hardly without talent, and his creative spark and willingness to get stuck in has indeed been evidenced through his play this season.

#

Player

Club

1.

Cole Palmer

Chelsea

2.

James Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur

3.

Jack Grealish

Manchester City

4.

Bernardo Silva

Manchester City

The £70k-per-week star had played a key role throughout November and December after Maddison was felled by an ankle injury, scoring against Aston Villa and Manchester City; moreover, across his 11 outings in the Premier League, he has also supplied two assists, averaged 1.1 key passes, 1.5 tackles and 3.5 ball recoveries per match while winning 65% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

But only handed a starting berth four times, Postecoglou is seemingly unconvinced and given that he is out of contract in 2025, it's more than plausible that Lo Celso has entered his final few months at the club.

Giovani Lo Celso's current market value

According to Football Insider, Spurs were willing to listen to offers for their 27-year-old player before the January transfer window, with offers of around £15-20m requested to grant his departure.

Nothing materialised, but recent news has tied him with rumours of a move to Galatasaray, with chatter in Turkey even suggesting that he is preparing to say his goodbyes to his Lilywhites teammates.

Date

Market Value

07/19

£28m

07/20

£22m

07/21

£21m

07/22

£19m

07/23

£15m

02/24

£9m

Given his depreciation over the years, it's evident that Lo Celso has indeed fallen by the wayside and that a move away is perhaps the best thing for all parties, continuing the restructuring under Postecoglou's watch and providing the player with a clean slate.

But just £9m-rated right now (an £46m decrease from his past transfer fee), it's impossible to shirk away from the disappointment, with Lo Celso proving to be one of the club's biggest misfires, probably surpassing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in this regard, who is also on the periphery and expected to move away this summer.

Hojbjerg has at least enjoyed sustained success at Tottenham, signing from Southampton for £15m under Jose Mourinho and offering the industriousness and composure in the engine room to slot right into the Portuguese tactician's system.

Even last season, as Spurs slumped, the Denmark international started 35 Premier League matches, but he's now on the fringe and likely to depart sooner rather than later.

The 28-year-old rejected multiple contract offers from sides such as Lyon in January but has played a part for Postecoglou, though he lacks the mobility and enterprise in possession to flourish in the high-octane set-up.

Indeed, while he has completed 89% of his passes in the top flight, an average of 0.2 key passes and 2.1 successful duels per match does underscore this point above, and, like his Argentinian confrere, maybe it's apt time to leave.

Once branded as a "flop" by The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke, Lo Celso can hold his head high after battling through much adversity and returning to the fray, but it's hard to argue that he has not underperformed after his initial signing.

Postecoglou clearly doesn't see him at the core of his long-term vision and, ultimately, he will not go down as a success.