Ange Postecoglou to unleash James Maddison replacement against Aston Villa as £27.2m star confirms boost

Tottenham sources have already confirmed Giovani Lo Celso is not for sale after Barcelona made an inquiry over his availability in the January transfer window.

The 27-year-old is now set to play a major role in the way Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou sets up his team following an injury to James Maddison.

The former Real Betis midfielder showed he was ready for the task ahead after starting and excelling for 70 minutes as Argentina beat Brazil in the last international break of the year.

The Argentine midfielder joined Tottenham in 2020 for a fee in the region of £27million but has since failed to command a starting slot in the team.

But this could be the perfect stage to show his talent having been a key member of the Argentina national team and certainly has what it takes to be a starter in this Tottenham team.

He was initially meant to replace Christian Eriksen but he might succeed in replacing Maddison who is now set to be out until at least the new year.

Tottenham made a brilliant start to life under Australian manager Ange Postecoglou but two defeats before the international break and injuries to an already lean squad has now thrown a different kind of test that they will have to overcome against Villa.

They showed a vulnerability in the game against Wolves where they took the lead but lost it in the last minutes. Australian manager Postecoglou would have been boosted by the impressive cameo from Lo Celso who showed he could be trusted with playing the role as the creative force in the team