Tottenham are meeting a talented Sevilla winger Bryan Gil in a partial swap deal that will see Erik Lamela leave the club after eight years in north London.
Spurs are also paying an estimated € 25 million (£ 21.7 million) plus surcharges to Sevilla for the transfer.
Here’s a look at everything fans need to know about the 20 – year – old winger.
Gil was born in a hotbed of Barcelona’s talent / Angel Martinez / Getty Images
Gil was born in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the same city that neighbors Barcelona as Jordi Alba, Victor Valdes and Adama Traore.
But his family moved south to Andalusia when he was young and he grew up there instead and joined a local youth club near Cadiz before being investigated by the regional giants Seville at the age of 11.
Gil had a breakout season during a bad Eibar season 2020/21 / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Spurs buy long-term potential in Gil. He made his first team debut for Sevilla in January 2019 just before he turned 18 but has so far only played 21 games for the club in all competitions.
After spending the second half of 2019/20 on loan at Leganes, for which he drew 2-2 against Real Madrid in the final days of the season, Gil got his break when he joined Eibar on loan in October last year. 2020/21. He started almost every game, albeit in difficult circumstances when Eibar was rumored and gained invaluable experience.
Gil made his first La Liga for Sevilla in April 2019 / CRISTINA QUICLER / Getty Images
Gil has a record that no one will ever break. His first senior goal for Sevilla, against Rayo Vallecano in April 2019, made him the first player born in the 2000s to score in La Liga.
The player had only turned 18 two months earlier and the performance immediately marked his card as a potential future star.
Gil is primarily a ‘classic’ winger / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images
Gil is left-handed and plays mainly on the left, which makes him more of a classic winger than football fans have become accustomed to in recent years. Think, perhaps, of a left-legged version of Seville legend Jesus Navas, with whom he has been fortunate enough to play.
But Gil also played a significant number of games for Eibar last season from the right, so he could cut in to offer a different kind of threat if needed. He was just as versatile when he was at Leganes the year before and also has the ability to work centrally as number ten.
Gil is known for being able to hit players and cross the ball / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images
Probably Gil’s biggest attribute is sending crosses in the box. He’s less about scoring goals that a wide forward can make and more about putting the ball in from wide areas so that his teammates can attack and create chances from these situations.
He has the acceleration and the technical ability to beat players to make room for the cross. In addition to a strong open game delivery, he is also known for dead games.
Gil plays for Spain at the Olympics this summer / Soccrates Images / Getty Images
Spurs fans’ first chance to catch a glimpse of Gil is at the Olympics as he has been named La Roja’s squad for the tournament in Japan, where he will play alongside Pedri, Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, Mikel Oyarzabal and others.
Despite his young age, Gil has also already gained a foothold at the international senior level. He finally missed the final selection for Euro 2020 but made two appearances for the national team in the World Cup qualifiers in March and then in the last warm-up friendly before Euro 2020 in June.
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