Can Lo Celso fill the void left by Maddison?

With James Maddison expected to be sidelined until the New Year, the playmaker role for Tottenham is unfilled.

During Spurs’ last match, against Wolves, the midfield trio of Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg struggled to provide creativity and dynamism. It’s clear Ange Postecoglou’s style of play requires that central attacking midfielder role. While Bissouma, Sarr, and Hojbjerg are great ball handlers, they don’t have that vision or attacking edge Maddison possesses. His long-term absence could open the door for Giovani Lo Celso to get back into the first team.

It’s fair to say Lo Celso has had a rough go during his time in North London.

Lo Celso was brought in the summer of 2019 and showed flashes of his attacking flair during Tottenham’s 2019/20 Champions League campaign, helping an injury-riddled team reach the Round of 16.

In the Premier League, however, Lo Celso has struggled to kick on, which has partially been due to injuries and managers who preferred more defensive tactics.

He has been through five different gaffers since he got here, getting sent out on loan twice to Villarreal. Yet, his loan spells in Spain were surprisingly fruitful. Playing in a second-striker role under Unai Emery, Lo Celso helped the team reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Though he only potted three goals and tallied four assists during his time in Spain, he was still a strong contributor to those Villarreal teams.

Lo Celso hasn’t had a fair chance to prove himself in England, and the latest injury crisis now presents an interesting opportunity for the Argentine midfielder.