A transfer rumour keeps popping up that Tottenham shouldn’t consider

Real Betis is reportedly still in hot pursuit of Giovani Lo Celso, but Tottenham shouldn’t be looking to loan or sell the midfielder, who was one of the club’s best performers during pre-season.

Tottenham doesn’t have heaps of depth in the No. 8 role, especially with Rodrigo Bentancur sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Let me first caveat this piece with saying that the source of the recent rumour, Sportitalia, @tvdellosport, isn’t the most reliable transfer outlet. But it still has credibility and shouldn’t be dismissed offhand.

Tanguy Ndombele is no longer an option, dead weight as far as each Tottenham manager that has come into contact with him has ascertained.

And that includes Ange, who quickly realized that the Frenchman is unwilling to put in the hard yards and compete physically.

Oliver Skipp is a lot of things, but a No. 8, he is not.

Bryan Gil suffered an injury and underwent groin surgery recently. He is expected to miss up to two months of action.

While there are rumours of Spurs landing at least one more attacker, that has yet to happen. Of all the rumours, most focus on forwards better suited to offering reinforcement for Richarlison.

As you can see, offloading Lo Celso should not be an option. Unless Real Betis submits an extraordinary bid for more than his market worth, Tottenham must keep the Argentine.

He has much to offer in the advanced No. 8 role and needs an opportunity to prove it in Ange’s 4-3-3.

While the rumours keep popping up, selling, even loaning, Lo Celso is illogical, especially considering the other factors at play.

If Lo Celso isn’t working out by Christmas, Tottenham can reconsider. Yes, there are incumbent risks in that strategy, as his market value might decrease between now and then, particularly if he struggles to impact first-team proceedings.

But the risk of selling him or loaning him now far outweighs the issues with offloading him later.

We need Lo Celso now more than ever. With offensive production at a premium in the aftermath of Harry Kane’s departure, surely Tottenham can’t contemplate losing one of the remaining creative assets on the books.