Bryan Gil: Things to know about the Spanish winger

Tottenham have confirmed the signing of talented Sevilla winger Bryan Gil in a part-exchange deal that sees Erik Lamela leave the club after eight years in north London.

Spurs have also paid an estimated €25m (£21.7m) plus add-ons to Sevilla for the transfer.

Here's a look at everything fans need to know about the 20-year-old winger.

1. Born in Catalonia

Gil was born in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the same city neighbouring Barcelona as the likes of Jordi Alba, Victor Valdes and Adama Traore.

But his family moved south to Andalusia when he was young and he grew up there instead, joining a local youth club near Cadiz before being scouting by regional giants Sevilla at the age of 11.

2. Raw talent

Spurs are buying long-term potential in Gil. He made his first-team debut for Sevilla in January 2019 shortly before turning 18 but only played 21 games for the club in all competitions to date.

Having spent the second half of 2019/20 on loan at Leganes, for whom he scored in a 2-2 draw against Real Madrid on the final days of the season, Gil got his break when he joined Eibar on loan last October for the remainder of 2020/21. He started nearly every game, albeit in difficult circumstances as Eibar were relegated, and gained invaluable experience.

3. History maker

Gil holds a record that no one will ever break. His first senior goal for Sevilla, coming against Rayo Vallecano in April 2019, made him the first player born in the 21st century to score in La Liga.

The player had only turned 18 two months earlier and the feat immediately marked his card as a potential star of the future.

4. Versatile attacking player

Gil is left-footed and plays primarily on the left, making more of a classic winger than football fans have grown accustomed to in recent years. Perhaps think of a left-footed version of Sevilla legend Jesus Navas, with whom he has been fortunate enough to play alongside.

But Gil also played a significant number of games for Eibar last season from the right, allowing him to cut inside to offer a different kind of threat if needed. He was similarly versatile while at Leganes the year before and also has the ability to operate centrally as a number ten.

5. Best attributes

Arguably Gil’s greatest attribute is sending crosses into the box. He is less about scoring goals like a wide forward might do and more about putting the ball in from wide areas allowing his teammates to attack and create chances from those situations.

He has the acceleration and technical ability to beat players to create the space for the cross. As well as strong open play delivery, he is also noted for set-pieces.

6. Playing at the Olympics

The first opportunity for Spurs fans to catch a glimpse of Gil is at the Olympics as he has been named in La Roja’s squad for the tournament in Japan, where he will be playing alongside the likes of Pedri, Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, Mikel Oyarzabal and others.

Despite his young age, Gil has also already been capped at senior international level. He ultimately missed out on final selection for Euro 2020 but made two appearances for the national in World Cup qualifiers in March and then in the final warm-up friendly before Euro 2020 in June.

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