Jose Mourinho has praised the ‘incredible evolution’ of Giovani Lo Celso, with Tottenham set to make his loan move permanent.
Lo Celso made a move from Real Betis on a season-long loan in the summer, the Argentine moving to the Premier League to link up with compatriot Mauricio Pochettino.
He would endure a slow start to his Spurs career though, his settling in being hampered by a hip injury which saw him miss eight games.
With Christian Eriksen set to complete a €20 million move Inter Milan this week, Lo Celso has been afforded ever-increasing game time in recent weeks, and speaking after Spurs’ 1-1 draw with Southampton, Jose Mourinho confirmed that the North London club would take up their option of making his loan move, permanent.
“I think the boy is earning the decision [to sign him], he’s making an easy decision for the club to execute the option,” Mourinho told reporters.
“Incredible evolution since I arrived. Barely played a game, I think he played against Red Star Belgrade, with me a little bit difficult to come in the first few weeks.
“But he understood what we wanted. Good learner, good kid.
“By himself, he made the decision that the club is going to execute the option. That’s normal, he earned it.”
The loan deal that took Lo Celso to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium included an option to buy the 23-year-old for £27.2 million in January, though that figure will increase to £34m if they were to wait until the summer.
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