Spurs decided against sending player on loan to Champions League clubs – Director reveals

Espanyol sporting director Fran Garagarza reveals there was no shortage of interest in Alejo Veliz this summer and the La Liga side were only able to get him thanks to Tottenham’s ‘help’.

Alejo Veliz had a nightmare at Sevilla

Veliz’s first season in Europe did not go according to plan after he arrived on the English shores from Rosaria Central a little over a year ago.

The striker was loaned out to Sevilla for the second half of last season in search of game time, but he barely got a look in during his loan spell at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

The 20-year-old returned to Spain in the summer, this time completing a season-long loan move to newly promoted Espanyol.

Things have started much better for him at the Catalonian club, with the striker already having played more games than he did at Seville.

Veliz netted his first goal for his new club against Rayo Vallecano three weeks ago, with the on-loan Tottenham man netting a dramatic late winner to announce himself to his new fans.

Spurs did not want to send Veliz to a Champions League club

Garagarza has now shed light on how Espanyol managed to sign the Argentine, admitting that Spurs made concessions as they wanted the centre-forward to get minutes.

The Espanyol president told AS: “We understood that we had to go for that type of player who was more out than in at his clubs. In the case of Veliz, for example, he came from a somewhat complicated loan at Sevilla. He didn’t play much.

“It’s true that if he had played his level there, we wouldn’t have had any chance of having him with us. He had several Italian teams and Champions League clubs after him, but Tottenham helped us.

“They understood that with us the player’s value would increase because we made them see that he was going to be important. Having a young boy of that profile, even with money, is difficult.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Tottenham’s main priority would have been to ensure Veliz got game time, which is why a switch to Espanyol was the right one for him. The 20-year-old will only get better as he gains more experience at the highest level over the course of the season.

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