Lo Celso: “I’m happy for this new step… we know the goals going forward”

Giovani Lo Celso is thrilled to have completed a permanent move to the Club after “starting again” at the end of October.

A summer loan recruit from Real Betis, the dynamic midfielder’s introduction to life in England was tough, making three cameo appearances as a substitute in the Premier League before picking up a hip injury with Argentina during the September international break, which ruled him out for several weeks.

The timing couldn’t have been worse for the talented former Rosario Central and PSG star, as his mission to acclimatise to life in a new country and a new division hit a snag.

By his own admission, he felt like he had to start afresh when he returned to action a month-and-a-half later, but it’s fair to say he hasn’t looked back. Scoring his first goal for us in a comprehensive 4-0 Champions League victory against Crvena zvezda in Belgrade on 6 November, he’s been superb since the turn of the year, scoring the historic first FA Cup goal in our new stadium against Middlesbrough and being described by Jose Mourinho as “phenomenal” after one of his recent all-action displays.

Now, he’s received a further boost after the Club this week made his loan into a permanent transfer, the 23-year-old signing a contract with us until 2025.

“I am very happy to extend my stay with the Club – I’m happy for this new step,” he beamed. “I'm enjoying this moment, being here, in a new league, a new language, new team-mates – they made me feel comfortable from day one and that's why I'm enjoying it.

“At first it was not easy because of my injury when I arrived at the Club. I knew I was coming to a new league – very difficult, very competitive. The adaptation was not easy, I had that injury problem that took me out for five or six weeks. Then I had to start again. But as the time and the training sessions went on, I felt more comfortable and now I am enjoying this moment. I feel very comfortable, I am playing more and I am enjoying it.”

When Gio arrived in August, he found three of his fellow countrymen in the squad in Juan Foyth, Paulo Gazzaniga and Erik Lamela. Needless to say, they helped him to settle down and he quickly became a popular character among everyone at Hotspur Way.

“Both at the beginning and now, the Argentine boys helped me a lot,” he explained. “Juan, Paulo and Coco (Erik) made everything easier. In every situation where I needed something, they were there to help me. When you arrive at a new club that is very important.

“But it’s not only them, the rest of my team-mates helped me a lot as well. I’ve got a great relationship with everyone. With Hugo (Lloris) we’ve been drinking ‘Mate’ (popular South American caffeine drink) every morning. Eric Dier also joins our ‘Mate’ rounds as well. They are great lads, and for me being young, I enjoy that a lot. I think the whole squad is very good and I’m really happy with everyone.”

With a huge Premier League test against Manchester City coming up at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend and the first leg of our Champions League round of 16 tie with RB Leipzig on the horizon too, what are Gio’s targets for the remainder of the season?

“Obviously the personal goals are to keep on growing as a person and as a player – to keep learning and growing in a competitive league like this one,” he said.

“Then, we know the team goals, what a club like this demands, what it means to wear this shirt at a very big club with high expectations. We know that we have to finish close to the top to compete again in the Champions League next season. We also have to face the next round of the Champions League, so we have big games in the next few weeks and we expect to be up to the task.”