Alejo Veliz, recently sold by Tottenham Hotspur to Brazilian side Bahia, was reportedly not highly regarded by his teammates during his time in North London. Club-connected journalist John Wenham revealed that a fellow academy player felt Veliz was significantly behind the level of Will Lankshear and Jamie Donley during his first training session.
Veliz joined Tottenham in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of around £13 million, but struggled to make an impact, featuring in eight games and scoring only once. The Argentine forward had subsequent loan spells at Sevilla and Espanyol, where he was handed the number 10 and 9 shirts respectively, but failed to establish himself in either team.
According to Wenham, speaking on Tottenham News, the assessment came from a player training with the first team who directly compared Veliz to Lankshear and Donley. This suggests an internal lack of confidence in the signing from the outset. Despite showing “passion for Tottenham” – exemplified by an attempt to play through injury against Bournemouth – Veliz ultimately did not prove a successful acquisition.
Tottenham have mitigated their financial loss by receiving up to £9 million for Veliz’s transfer to Bahia. The club has had more success with other recent youth signings, including Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray, Destiny Udogie, and Luka Vuskovic. Bergvall is now reportedly valued at £45 million, while Vuskovic is said to have generated a £50 million offer. The Veliz situation highlights the inherent risk in scouting and recruiting from less familiar markets, but Tottenham remain confident in their overall strategy of identifying and developing young talent.
