Sevilla have come under fire for their treatment of young Tottenham Hotspur striker Alejo Veliz, with former Spurs scout Bryan King slamming the La Liga club for failing to provide the promising talent with adequate opportunities.
Veliz, who joined Tottenham in a lucrative six-year deal from Rosario Central for a reported fee of €15 million, made a promising start with eight appearances in the Premier League.
However, in January, he was loaned to Sevilla in hopes of gaining valuable playing time and experience in La Liga.
Despite the loan move, Veliz’s situation hasn’t improved much, as the youngster has seen limited action, making only three appearances totaling 23 minutes in the Spanish top flight.
In an exclusive interview with Tottenham News, Bryan King, who served as a scout for Spurs from 2002 to 2008, criticised Sevilla for not fulfilling their commitment to Veliz’s development.
Sevilla slammed for Alejo Veliz treatment
King emphasised that the primary objective of a loan deal is to ensure the loaned player’s active participation and consistent playing time with the first team.
He expressed disappointment with La Liga club’s handling of Veliz’s situation, suggesting that a prestigious club like Sevilla should uphold their commitment to developing loaned players.
King said:
“I don’t like what is going on with that situation at all.
“The main thing about sending a player on loan is that he will get some playing time and be involved with the first team, otherwise there is little point.
“A club like Sevilla should be honouring what they are taking on, and it sounds like they are doing the opposite. If I was Veliz, I would get out of Spain as quickly as I could.
King further questioned the rationale behind Premier League clubs sending young players to La Liga if they are not guaranteed significant playing time, suggesting that such situations undermine the purpose of loan moves.
He added:
“Why would any Premier League clubs going forward want to send young players to La Liga if they’re not going to get game time, they might as well keep the player to train with their first team.”
With Veliz, Spurs, and Sevilla all facing challenges in the current loan arrangement, King has urged Tottenham to consider cancelling Veliz’s loan deal and bringing him back to the club to explore other loan opportunities within England for the promising youngster.