Alejo Veliz is returning home. Two years after the Argentine striker joined Tottenham Hotspur, Veliz is returning to the club that originally sold him, returning to Rosario Central on a season long loan, according to Football.London’s Alasdair Gold.
According to Gold, the loan is a straight and “dry” loan that does not include a purchase option or obligation, meaning he’ll return to Tottenham a year from now. The 21-year old Veliz has made 8 senior appearances for Spurs, scoring one goal, but spent the season on loan at Sevilla and Espanyol last season.
I think it’s pretty clear at this point that Veliz is not going to make it at Tottenham. His stature and ability as a target man made us in Carty Free Towers affectionately nickname him “Big Lumpus” and we all hoped there would be something in his game that we could hang our hat on, but it’s not looking likely now, is it?
I’m sure that returning to Rosario Central is a lovely and sentimental choice for Alejo, but it’s unlikely to help prepare him to become a Premier League level striker. That’s not to say that he can’t be a good professional football player, but it really feels like he’s just not at the level required. Thomas Frank was said to want to take a look at all his players before making a decision about loans, and it’s pretty telling that after a couple days of preseason training he’s already said Veliz is not in his plans.
Normally, that’s okay. I’ve always thought that Spurs should be signing a couple of out-of-nowhere players who show promise at small clubs and who could become amazing. Brighton have feasted on players like this. Sometimes they work out. Often they don’t. But Spurs must have seen something in Veliz, because they spent £13m on him back in 2023 and signed him to a long term contract; he still has four years remaining on that deal. That takes him out of the range of “lottery ticket” and into the range of “bad talent identification.”
Hope I’m wrong and he turns a corner and becomes at least serviceable. If nothing else, I’m sure he’ll enjoy spending a season back home among familiar surroundings.