Bayern Munich will be keeping a very close eye on Giovani Lo Celso on Tuesday evening in their Champions League quarter-final second leg tie against Villarreal. Meeting in Spain one week ago, the Argentina international played a major role in the Yellow Submarines securing a 1-0 win to take into the return game at the Allianz Arena.
Lo Celso was at the heart of the move that saw former Bournemouth man Arnaut Danjuma net the winner at Estadio de la Ceramica, notably linking up with Gerard Moreno before Dani Parejo's shot from his pass was swept home by the Dutchman. The Tottenham midfielder had a major say on the European tie and duly came out with the man of the match award following his performance.
On the lips of all Tottenham fans as a result after sparkling for Villarreal, he also dominated the headlines both in Spain and in his home country. Described by Argentine publication Ole as a "giant" and an "absolute figure" on the pitch, they also commented that he had an "enormous game".
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Lo Celso's display also went down well with Spurs boss Antonio Conte, who opted to part with the player on a loan deal at the end of January. Asked about his midfielder in his pre-match press conference ahead of Aston Villa, the Italian claimed that his form is "good for everybody".
"First of all I'm really happy for his great performance. He needed to play with regularity, with continuity. For this reason he went to Spain in a league he knows very well because he played very well and Tottenham bought him when he played in that league. To go back there and show he's in good form is good for everybody, especially because Tottenham paid a lot of money for him," explained Conte.
"I am very happy because he is playing every game, he's showing he's a good player but I never said he's not a good player. I said this league is a very difficult league because it is not enough to have great quality and it's important to play with great intensity and strength. But now he is playing with regularity and I am very happy for him, also Gil, they are playing very well in Spain. Also the club did the right choice, yes."
Finding his form at Villarreal after another stop-start year at Tottenham through injury, Lo Celso's current Champions League campaign is going better than his previous one. Joining the Lilywhites in the summer of 2019 as they looked to build on reaching the final of Europe's premier competition a few months earlier, Spurs managed to advance through the group stage before RB Leipzig secured a 4-0 aggregate win over Jose Mourinho's injury-hit side.
Reaching the Champions League semi-finals 16 years ago only for Arsenal to secure a final berth against Barcelona following a slender win, Villarreal could well find themselves in the final four once again this year. Making a real statement in the previous round with a 4-1 aggregate win over Juventus, you certainly wouldn't put it past Unai Emery's men from putting another one of Europe's giants to the sword.
Lo Celso will again be key to Villarreal's hopes and another good showing will only benefit Tottenham. An important summer for the club as they decide to either part with him on a permanent basis or keep him in the capital, the 26-year-old isn't going to be short of options if he continues to wow at Villarreal.
The Yellow Submarines will hope to be in the driving seat for his signature, with reports from the player's homeland indicating that they do indeed want to make his loan move permanent. However, they do not have an option to buy clause in the deal they struck with Tottenham and will instead have to negotiate terms with Daniel Levy.
Lo Celso's loan move to Villarreal has gone to plan so far and it does leave Tottenham in a good position with clubs likely to be keen on signing the Argentina international. A few more Champions League masterclasses and his price tag will continue to rise, thus further boosting Conte and Fabio Paratici's summer transfer kitty in the process if he is to move on.
As Conte mentioned in his pre-match press conference last week, Lo Celso's form is "good for everybody".
