Last month, Tottenham Hotspur allowed Alejo Véliz to join Espanyol on a season-long loan deal.
The striker joined Tottenham from Rosario Central in August 2023 and clocked in 45 minutes from eight games for Spurs. He then moved to Sevilla on loan in January, where he managed 31 minutes from six matches.
Ange Postecoglou didn’t include Véliz in his plans this season, resulting in Tottenham letting him go out on loan to Espanyol.
AS say the 20-year-old’s ‘path in Europe hasn’t been easy’, but he’s ‘happy again’ at Espanyol.
At the weekend, he scored the winner in the 96th minute against Rayo Vallecano, to help the club secure their first win of the season.
The Spanish club and their manager, Manolo González, conveyed their ‘trust and faith’ in the Tottenham man, before his arrival. He had a difficult year since joining Tottenham and made this clear after scoring his first goal for Espanyol.
“It was a very big relief. I’ve come from a year in which I have not had a good time in terms of football. I want to thank my family, my girlfriend who always supported me,” he said, quoted by AS.
“To the coaching staff for giving me the chance to come here, to my teammates and to all these people for always supporting us.”
The goal against Rayo Vallecano was his second since arriving in Europe a year ago.
“It was something that I had been looking for, that I wasn’t getting. I had a thorn in my side. Goals are very important for strikers,” Véliz explained.
“I made up my mind that maybe it’s just a streak, that the goal wasn’t opening up for me, but I was thinking about contributing as much as I could to the team. I knew the goal was going to come, it came today and hopefully many more to come.”
Despite playing just games, AS say Espanyol and Véliz feel that he has ‘found his place’ at the Spanish club. González trusts him and his teammates are ‘amazed’ with his finishing in training.
The report adds the Tottenham owned player has already made the Espanyol fans forget about last season’s star, Martin Braithwaite. He scored 22 goals and left as a free agent in the summer.