Giovani Lo Celso has probably already accepted that he won’t be of much help to Ange Postecoglou this season at Tottenham Hotspur if he had any hope of doing so.

It is apparent that he won’t have many opportunities in London after spending only 16 minutes on the field against Bournemouth and 45 minutes against Fulham in the EFL Cup.

Fichajes claims that Lo Celso is contemplating leaving Tottenham as a result.

The publication claims that the midfielder has “made clear his desire” to join Real Betis in January and that he and his agents are “working hard” to make that happen.

According to the report, Lo Celso has received offers from other teams, but he has chosen to sign with Manuel Pellegrini’s team because he feels he will get enough playing time there.

Fichajes recall that Tottenham’s demands prevented Betis from trying to sign him in the summer. The success of the current attempt now hinges on the outcome of new negotiations, but it is becoming more clear that the club doesn’t need him and that he wants to play elsewhere.

Before making a move to try to sign Lo Celso in the winter market, the La Liga team is claimed to be “attentive” to the situation.

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Why Tottenham can thrive against Arsenal in unique North London derby

In the Sunday north London derby between the two teams at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal has a chance to show Tottenham how far they still have to go under Ange Postecoglou.

The Gunners finished 24 points ahead of their neighbors last season after four years of Mikel Arteta’s well-funded project, while Spurs have played just six games of Postecoglou’s rebuild, which the head coach has repeatedly stated will take time.

Optimism is rife at either end of Seven Sisters Road with both teams undefeated and even on 13 points after five games, but Arsenal is farther along in their development and should be the favorite.

Postecoglou’s team can be counted on to lift the ante against the runners-up from the previous campaign because they haven’t done so away from home in this match in years. Whether they win, lose, or draw this weekend, their strategy will be crucial.

Spurs’ recent performance at the Emirates is dismal, and they haven’t claimed a league victory there since Harry Redknapp’s team famously overcame a 2-0 deficit in November 2010. Since then, Spurs have played in 12 road derbies and have lost eight of them, twice been destroyed 5-2 (in back-to-back games), blown three 2-0 leads, and generally been meek, especially in their past three visits.

A 2-1 loss in March 2021 was a microcosm of Jose Mourinho’s reign; Spurs took the lead thanks to an incredible rabona from Erik Lamela, but they paid the price for their pessimism when Arsenal scored after the break.

Six months later, under Nuno Espirito Santo’s leadership, Spurs were even worse, behind 3-0 inside of 34 minutes after arriving with what appeared to be no midfield and a strategy to hand the hosts control.

The 3-1 loss suffered by Spurs last season under Antonio Conte was their first setback of the year, but it was entirely foreseeable; the visitors chose to ignore Arsenal and paid the price when Arteta’s team inevitably turned their superiority into goals.

The fact that Spurs supporters felt their team lacked the fight, drive, and adventure to win made those defeats all the more upsetting.

There already doesn’t seem to be much chance under Postecoglou that the visitors will give up on Sunday or play with the same hostility that has characterized their recent derby slump.

Even though Arteta also wants his team to control the ball and apply pressure to their opponents, the Australian expects that his team approach every game with the same goal in mind: to win through offensive and entertaining football.

A fixture that rarely disappoints promises to be even more fascinating than usual given both managers’ deeply ingrained beliefs.

Even though a matchup with Arsenal cannot be characterized as a free hit for Spurs, given their dramatic victory against Sheffield United on Saturday, Postecoglou’s team is not under much pressure. If Spurs stay unbeaten, confidence and optimism in the team will grow even further, but as long as they make strides on the field and play with heart, losing to Arsenal right now wouldn’t be a scandal.