Tottenham Hotspur striker Alejo Veliz has been told to consider a January switch to Leicester City so he can learn from Premier League great Jamie Vardy.
Veliz joined Tottenham in August 2023 when they paid Rosario Central £13million for his signature. However, the centre-forward has only scored one goal in eight first-team appearances for Tottenham so far as he has had loan spells at Sevilla and Espanyol.
Veliz joined Espanyol on a season-long loan in August after Tottenham decided this would be best to further his development.
The Argentina U20 international notched a hat-trick against San Tirso in the Copa del Rey, while also finding the back of the net during a league victory over Rayo Vallecano in August.
However, Veliz has lost his place in Espanyol’s starting eleven and has been struggling for game time in recent weeks.
Veliz’s former Rosario Central team-mate, Facundo Buonanotte, is on loan at Leicester from Brighton & Hove Albion and has urged the Spurs man to join him at the King Power.
In an interview with Argentine newspaper Ole (via talkSPORT), Buonanotte was asked about Veliz’s situation. He replied: “I would tell Tanque Veliz to come here to learn from Jamie Vardy.
“He is on loan, but now he is at Tottenham, so I think he knows about this. During the time we were at Central we made a nice duo.”
Veliz would likely be able to learn a lot from Vardy. The former England international only made his Prem debut at the age of 27 but has gone on to become one of the most iconic strikers in the competition’s history.
Vardy’s Prem record stands at 142 goals in 323 games, putting him 15th in the all-time scorers charts. The 37-year-old holds the record for the longest scoring run in Prem history – 11 games – while he has also notched a total of 196 goals for Leicester.
Vardy is a master at playing on the shoulder of the last defender and at getting into the minds of his opponents. Playing alongside someone of Vardy’s experience would surely help 21-year-old Veliz as he tries to make his mark in England.
Of course, any January move to Leicester would first need to be signed off by his current loan club, Espanyol.
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Meanwhile, Spurs are reportedly planning to sign a goalkeeper in January amid Fraser Forster’s struggles.
Forster has come into the starting eleven following Guglielmo Vicario’s injury, but he is having problems with playing out from the back and gifted Manchester United two goals on Thursday.
This has resulted in Spurs targeting Burnley’s James Trafford for a January move. Trafford has also been heavily linked with Newcastle United.
Spurs are in the market for a new striker who can provide Dominic Solanke with competition and cover, as Veliz is still honing his craft.
The North London side have been linked with Lille’s Jonathan David. ESPN, though, state that Spurs would rather land Wolverhampton Wanderers ace Matheus Cunha.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have all expressed interest in Cunha too, setting up a big transfer battle in summer 2025.
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