Tottenham Hotspur signed 20-year-old Alejo Véliz over the summer for just £13m from Argentine side Rosario Central, with his contract running until 2029.
Véliz scored 11 goals in 23 matches last season for Rosario Central and 3 goals in 4 matches for Argentina's Under-20s in the World Cup. With promising stats like these, it will be intriguing to see how the young Argentine will adjust to the Premier League.
The 20-year-old started his time at Tottenham playing for the U21s against Colchester, a game they ultimately won 5-0. He played 28 minutes which was positive, considering he had a small injury prior to this. He had a couple of one-on-ones in this game which he failed to convert, but he seemed to be everywhere, causing opposition defenders all sorts of problems.
Véliz has currently made just two appearances for the Tottenham first team. The first time he was in the squad was vs Arsenal at Emirates, however, he was an unused substitute. The week after, Spurs faced Liverpool, and this is when he made his first appearance coming on in the 90th minute. Similarly, he came on in the 90th minute in Tottenham’s most recent game against Luton too.
The Argentine forward is certainly more of a long-term project, with a mixture of youth and inexperience in the Premier League, it probably won’t be until next season that we see him more regularly featured.
The Premier League is intense and requires physicality which Véliz may not be able to adapt to immediately. It would have been perfect for him to get experience with the first team in domestic or European cup matches against weaker teams, however, Tottenham unfortunately do not have anything other than the Premier League and FA Cup on their fixture list.
The Argentine will need to work hard in training to stand out to manager Ange Postecoglou, as well as making an impact off the bench in order to earn his place securing more minutes. From Rosario Central, he is known for his heading ability, as well as his intricate linking play. He is definitely a strong prospect for the future, fitting into Tottenham's plans perfectly.
There is potential that he has already made a good impression with his limited game time thus far, which contradicts what Ange Postecoglou said when he was first signed. Postecoglou's initial words were, “It will be a while for him, we’ve got to let him settle, he’s come halfway round the world.
"He’s one we’ll invest in long term, but I wouldn’t expect him to see any minutes in the first part of the season”.
The fact that we’re only nine weeks into the season and we’ve seen him twice (albeit briefly) shows that Postecoglou has seen potential in him, especially after saying he wouldn’t get minutes in the first part of the season. For the Australian to slightly go back on his words, he must see the youngster having something special.
Young players are really coming through for Tottenham currently, with Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie being outstanding and now regular starters for the club. Alejo Véliz is hoping to follow in their footsteps and certainly stands a chance of becoming a young star in the Premier League too.
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