Alejo Veliz joined Sevilla on loan from Tottenham in January but has hardly featured since – and Spurs are reportedly angry with the Spanish side’s treatment of their player, according to AS.
Veliz, 20, arrived in North London from Rosario Central in his native Argentina last summer but failed to earn regular game-time as Tottenham chased Champions League qualification, making a smattering of late cameo appearances in the Premier League in the first half of the season totalling just 42 minutes.
The most significant of those was a 20-minute stint in the 4-2 defeat against Brighton at the Amex Stadium, when he scored a consolation goal – his first and so far only strike in Spurs colours.
To aid the young striker’s development, the decision was made to send him out on loan, with Sevilla an obliging party.
No faith in youth from Quique Sanchez Flores
The La Liga side’s boss, Quique Sanchez Flores, was initially optimistic about his prospects after he recovered from an initial knee issue, saying: “He does what we ask of him. He is a boy who is going to once again set a clear path for what the team needs.”
However, the head coach has proved equally reluctant to trust Veliz with game time, affording the forward just 23 minutes since his arrival in Spain.
More recently, ahead of the 2-1 home defeat against Celta Vigo in which Flores left Veliz out of the squad entirely, the manager’s comments were markedly less positive: “Alejo has left us feeling good and at other times he has not left us so good.
“He has very high competition and Alejo knows, as you know and as I know, that he has two forwards who are very fit and others who are coming who are not going to be so good. Therefore, he knows that he has to change the rhythm of sensations to be able to have more opportunities.”
Flores’ treatment of Veliz mirrors his treatment of another Premier League loanee – Manchester United’s Hannibal Mejbri. The Tunisian midfielder has made just four league appearances to Veliz’s three.
Sevilla’s struggles in La Liga, sitting 16th and just six points from the relegation zone, may play a part in the 59-year-old’s reticence to rely on youth. He admitted as much when he quipped about the on-loan Premier League pair: “In the end, they are young boys who need a process”.
If Veliz’s situation does not improve soon, it will surely be in both Tottenham’s and the player’s best interests to terminate his loan and seek a club at which the striker will feature on a regular basis.
If he doesn’t get game time soon, his development could seriously be hampered by the lack of game-time he’s had this season at both Spurs and Sevilla.
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