Loaned out by Tottenham to Valencia until the end of the season, few expected Bryan Gil to have the impact he has had at the La Liga side since his arrival.
He might not have found the back of the net yet and only has the one assist in seven games, but he has already made his way into the hearts of the Mestalla faithful through his direct attacking and dribbling skills, who recently all sang ‘Bryan, stay’ in unison after his performances against Athletic Cub in the Copa del Rey semi-final.
While that is their wish, the reality, as explained by Plaza Deportiva, is quite different, mostly because it’s not entirely up to the player, who quite clearly is enjoying himself in Valencia.
The website explain that for him to stay, the La Liga side ‘would have to agree to second year on loan with the Tottenham leadership’.
This is something the Spanish media said the club were considering in mid-February, but, as things stand, ‘the operation has not been launched’, and it ‘depends on the player, Tottenham – specifically his manager, Antonio Conte -, and… Peter Lim’.
It’s made clear that Gil is ‘comfortable at Valencia’, with everything that was promised to him coming true, and he ‘feels important’ in the side, becoming a ‘benchmark’ after just one month in the side.
In essence, his life with the Spanish club ‘is perfect’, meaning little convincing will be needed for him to stay
The problem is that ‘negotiating with Tottenham would be complicated’, because while Valencia got him for nothing on a dry loan while paying half his wages, that was only for six months.
Asking for a season-long loan would come with more obligations, meaning a deal would be ‘more burdensome’, as Gil has a ‘high salary’ and because Spurs ‘would demand an additional amount for the player’s loan for the whole season’.
What could play in their favour is Conte himself, who could decide that Gil ‘is not interesting for his project’, at which point ‘the amount could be negotiated, although a price would always be set’.
Finally, there’s Peter Lim, the owner, ‘who has to validate any market movement’, because his club ‘has little money and many fronts to address this summer’.
While keeping Gil would be great, they also have to work on the renewals of José Luis Gayà, Carlos Soler and Hugo Guillamón, on top of wanting to buy Hugo Duro and being forced to purchase Omar Alderete.
That’s a lot to juggle when you’re broke and need to raise €37m from somewhere, so, as you can see, Tottenham might have to either look elsewhere to give Gil more playing time next season, or simply keep him and use him to the best of his abilities, which are clearly many and useful, as he has shown for Valencia.
