Ex-Tottenham star Giovani Lo Celso had the last laugh on Ange Postecoglou by scoring two goals on his full debut for his new club.
Lo Celso was signed by his former side Real Betis for around £4million at the eleventh hour of transfer deadline day last month. The 28-year-old Argentine signed a three-year contract with the option of an additional year.
He made a masterful impact in his first start for Betis in over five years, scoring both second-half goals in their 2-0 La Liga win over Getafe on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Spurs were still reeling from their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby.
Expressing his joy, Lo Celso said in his post-match interview: “I’m happy with the win, it was important to get three points against a tough opponent. It was a very big relief, we ended up suffering a little more than necessary, but we added three points that put us up there. This is the way to go.”
The playmaker had left Betis for Spurs in 2018, initially on a loan deal before the signing was made permanent for a fee of £27m. He arrived in high regard and, according to Spanish outlet AS, was later recommended by Lionel Messi to Barcelona as the legend’s own replacement when he was shockingly released in 2021.
Messi, who like Lo Celso hails from Rosario, described the at-the-time Spurs man as Argentina’s best midfielder. But Lo Celso was not to be a part of Postecoglou’s plans after the Australian took over as manager at the start of the 2023/24 season.
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Lo Celso played minimal minutes in the first months of last season due to both injury and form. He played a bigger role in late autumn and expressed his joy at playing under Postecoglou.
He said: "I was really grateful for his belief in me, so I worked hard and showed every day that I wanted to be here and play. I've felt really comfortable in training and in the way he coaches. I love his idea of football which gave me the belief that I could find a place in his team. The coaching staff have helped as well as my team-mates.
"It's a personal challenge for my career, but the coach's plan and philosophy is helping me improve my game because he asks me and wants me to do specific things in my role. Things have been going great. He's made me feel very confident and comfortable since he joined."
But he ended the season with just 24 appearances, many of those being under five minutes long. That, and a lack of assurances about his future in the team, likely led to his departure in the summer.
Prior to his Betis homecoming, Lo Celso had returned to La Liga on two separate loan spells with Villarreal, initially for the second half of the 2021/22 season and then the entirety of the 2022/23 season.
Despite his inconsistency with Spurs, Lo Celso has remained a key member of the Argentina national team over the past seven years. He has earned 59 caps while playing a pivotal role in their consecutive Copa America triumphs in 2021 and 2024.
