High Hopes for Giovani Lo Celso

The summer transfer window has been closed for a little over four months now and when you evaluate the players brought in by Paris Saint-Germain, most have been an utter disappointment.

Grzegorz Krychowiak followed Unai Emery from Sevilla FC but has struggled to adapt to his new surroundings. The Poland international has lacked match fitness for most of the year and has been outplayed by the much older Thiago Motta. Hatem Ben Arfa has shown flashes of his ability but has been nowhere near the player he was last season for OGC Nice and has played much less. Lastly, Jesé Rodriguez, who arrived from Real Madrid for around €25 million, has mostly been seen on the bench and there’s already rumors speculating about his departure back to Spain. Only Thomas Meunier has performed up to his price tag and is easily PSG’s best signing of the summer. All of these misses make you question the club’s transfer policy and those signing off on these deals.

There may be a light at the end of the tunnel though. PSG signed Giovani Lo Celso from Club Atlético Rosario Central for €10 million at the end of July and then loaned him immediately back to CA Rosario until January 2017. The highly-rated midfielder is a bit of an unknown but his arrival has been anticipated by supporters for months. So what can we expect from the 20-year-old Argentinian?

Style of Play

Lo Celso is a natural central attacking midfielder compared to his compatriots Angel Di Maria and Javier Pastore. His modest two assists this season in the Primera División may not be that exciting but there’s no denying his quality. At the Olympics this past season, Lo Celso was chosen to participate with the U23 Argentina squad and played a major role before being knocked out at the group stage on goal differential. The tournament was good for him but the absence of quality attackers, other than Angel Correa, didn’t allow Lo Celso to display his full array of talent. The left-footed playmaker is often compared to Di Maria (both from Rosario, Argentina) but he is different from the direct style that El Fideo brings to the pitch. Lo Celso concentrates on pure vision, holding the ball, wide range of passing, elegance, and a good understanding of the game. Pundits see his playing style similar to the former Argentina and Boca Juniors legend Juan Román Riquelme.

Prospects With PSG

The continuous absence of the mercurial play-maker Pastore due to injury and pressure from other senior players have changed Emery’s mind to drift from his preferred 4-2-3-1 to Laurent Blanc’s preferred 4-3-3. But, recent matches showing Emery utilizing his favored formation with a central attacking midfielder has shown that it can be successful though. While El Flaco is one of the best in the world when on form, his injuries will provide competition for that CAM position and Ben Arfa and Lo Celso will be first in line to fill in. In the 4-3-3 formation, Lo Celso can be deployed as a right-winger who cuts inside the penalty box and provide dangerous crosses and key passes. Supporters will have to temper expectation as Lo Celso is still young and not likely to feature right away in the starting lineup. He will be up against higher competition than he’s used to, both in Ligue 1 and in training, and he will need time to adapt. If he can raise his ability to that of his competition, then it will be the rise of a new left-footed Riquelme.

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