Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts has expressed his doubts over the ability of Giovani Lo Celso to become a Premier League star.
The Argentine endured a stop-start season under manager Jose Mourinho in 2020/21 prior to the Portuguese’s sacking. He was signed under the management of Mauricio Pochettino on loan, before completing a permament £27m transfer in January 2020.
Lo Celso made a total of 18 Premier League appearances in midfield but he scored just once, and laid on one assist.
His season was disrupted by a hamstring injury that ruled him out of 14 Premier League games in total, while he also battled a muscle injury at the beginning of the season. He is valued at £24.3m by Transfermarkt.
Those niggles restricted him to just 11 starts in the league and he was not even included in the squad for the final game of the campaign against Leicester City, under the management of caretaker boss Ryan Mason.
Roberts has his doubts over whether the 25-year-old will be able to adjust to life in the Premier League, as Spurs close in on the appointment of a new manager.
Reports suggest that Paulo Fonseca, the former Roma boss, will become Mourinho’s permanent successor, and Roberts thinks Lo Celso needs to get properly up to speed if he is to thrive in the top-flight.
Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, the Spurs legend said: “I’m not sure. I’m still in the reckoning on that one because Lo Celso picks up little, niggly injuries all the time. He’s not used to the hustle, bustle in the Premier League so I don’t think he’s got up to those standards at the moment.”
