Bryan Gil will soon step through the doors at Hotspur Way once again five months on from his return to Spain. Making a huge name for himself in La Liga with some eye-catching performances down the wing, managing director of football Fabio Paratici clearly had one eye on the future when he agreed on a £22million deal with Sevilla for the youngster last July that involved Erik Lamela heading in the opposite direction.
Seen as one of the most exciting youngsters in Spain, Gil would clearly still need plenty of time to adapt to the pace and intensity of the Premier League but the hope was that he could have an impact in the first team in his debut season. Showing glimpses of his undoubted quality in a couple of early Europa Conference League games and his late cameo in the north London derby defeat vs Arsenal, the new arrival was given a few opportunities here and there by Antonio Conte but he, unfortunately, couldn't take them.
Despite taking to the pitch in five of Tottenham's games in January, albeit as a late substitute in four of them, it was decided late on in the month that the summer addition could depart on loan to get some regular pitch time under his belt. Conte was not convinced his young player was ready for the Premier League and made that perfectly clear in a press conference with a very honest answer about the club's transfer activity shortly after Gil's exit to Valencia.
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"You know that I like to tell the truth and for sure we’re talking about a really good player in Gil, because he has good quality and he understands football quickly," explained the Italian. "In this moment, for sure this league is very tough. This league is different. If you compare this league with other leagues, you play another sport here. For this reason, when you go to sign a new player, you have to consider many aspects. Not only one aspect, if he shoots well or makes an assist, you have to consider a lot of situations because this league is very difficult.
"You can be good with quality. You can be a creative player, but at the same time, you have to be strong physically. You have to run a lot, to be resilient. The impact of this league is not simple. It's not simple. For this reason, the market, before signing a player, you have to check many aspects and not going on emotional things.
"This is very important and I hope I transferred my thoughts to my club because I repeat, I have my vision. I'm here to try to help my club to improve. In my experiences in the past, I have built good structure, good teams that have lasted over time. Also without me, also without me.
"It means maybe if I tell something and have a vision, I see the situation. Here we need to build, we need to build a good structure and create a good foundation. It will be very important to not make mistakes in the future, because in this moment many teams are higher than us and for this reason, to catch up with them, we have to reduce the mistakes. We have to reduce them, have a vision and follow this line."
Making an instant impression at Valencia as he drew comparisons to club hero Pablo Aimar, Los Che supporters soon made their feelings clear to the player as they called for him to stay permanently after helping them reach the final of the Copa del Rey. A glance at Gil's numbers of one assist in his 17 Valencia games may not look impressive on paper but they do not tell the full story of his loan spell, which was a success as he featured regularly and highlighted why exactly Spurs bought him in the first place following some impressive performances.
As ever, Tottenham players will return for pre-season in different stages as a number of the squad have played international football over the course of the summer. Gil was one of those, scoring a double for Spain U21s in a 6-0 win over Northern Ireland and then playing 58 minutes in a 7-1 win over Malta.
Gil's early finish on international duty compared to some of his Tottenham teammates may mean that Conte and the coaching staff could want him to return earlier to the club's training base rather than when the international players make their comeback ahead of their departure for South Korea on Saturday, July 9. Those not involved in international action such as Eric Dier, Harry Winks and Lucas Moura will return to Hotspur Way for pre-season training next Monday.
Conte will use this summer to assess Gil and then make a final decision on what comes next for the ex-Sevilla man. The player admitted during his Valencia loan that the training sessions and the football at Tottenham were tough for him to adapt to and even though he gained weight it was not enough, thus highlighting that he has an awful lot to do if he is to change his head coach's thinking in such a short space of time.
Game time will hopefully be there for the youngster over the course of pre-season and his goal will be to demonstrate to Conte and the rest of his coaching team that he is ready and he can play a part for Tottenham in the Premier League next season. It doesn't look too promising for the player at present, however, as football.london understands that Spurs are looking at the potential of bringing Everton's young winger Anthony Gordon to the club and they could look at signing him and Richarlison.
Gordon made a real name for himself at Goodison Park last campaign with some big performances to help the team retain their place in the Premier League after finding themselves in a rather precarious position with time quickly running out. Capable of playing on either flank, just as his teammate Richarlison, the addition of the England U21 ace would only raise further questions over Gil.
Tottenham will not be short of options for the Spaniard if he is made available but it will be about picking the right move for him if it is to be another loan exit. A return to his homeland or Italy may suit his game at present but a Premier League loan deal would be best for the player and Spurs over the long run if they believe he has a future in N17.
If the Spain U21 international is going to become a star for Tottenham in England's top-flight eventually then he needs to pick up that experience either from getting minutes here and there at Spurs or spending a year on loan at another Premier League club. A loan move elsewhere will only raise the same issue whenever he does return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he will still lack that top-flight experience in England.
Of course, a permanent exit could be an option if he is to have no future under Conte but that would look extremely bad for Tottenham to sell such a talented player one year on from his transfer and with only a handful of games to his name. The inevitable where he goes on to star elsewhere and become a major name in world football would no doubt happen to Spurs if an exit is to be the case.
Paratici and Conte have a predicament on their hands when it comes to Gil ahead of the 2022/23 campaign at present but their answer could soon become very clear if they can wrap up a double deal for Everton duo Richarlison and Gordon over the coming weeks. Whatever the decision with Gil it needs to be the right one as Tottenham do have a very talented player on their hands.
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