Who is Alejo Veliz? The teenage hitman Tottenham want to replace Kane

 

If reports this week are to be believed then Harry Kane has effectively confirmed that if he is part of Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham starting XI for their opening weekend fixture with Brentford, he'll remain at the club this summer. With less than a year to run on his current deal in the capital, that in itself is a risk for Spurs. 

 

They may end up losing arguably their greatest ever play for free, and there's the added possibility that he'd move to a rival Premier League side. Manchester United have previously shown an interest. Former boss Mauricio Pochettino would certainly welcome him with open arms at Chelsea. There is cautious optimism that Kane is a Spurs player come September 1st, but in turn; it's no surprise the club are making contingencies should Kane depart this month. 

 

A number of big-name strikers have been linked with a move to the north London side. Dusan Vlahovic, Jonathan David and Evan Ferguson are just three to have donned the gossip columns at one stage or another in recent months, but reports now suggest young Argentine hitman Alejo Veliz is on the cusp of a move to England. Spurs face competition from others on the continent for Veliz, with Serie A trio AC Milan, Lazio and Napoli all rumoured admirers, and high profile interest in the teenage hitman doesn't come as a shock. 

 

Veliz ended the 2023 Liga Profesional season with 11 goals to his name, as Rosario Central finished the campaign eighth. Only five players hit the back of the net more times than the 19-year-old, who really came alive in the opposition box. Veliz doesn't contribute much off the ball, noted in that he averaged just 15.6 passes and 0.6 key passes per 90 this campaign, yet when presented with the chances to hit the back of the net, the Argentine is lethal. 

 

Of the 41 players to score five or more goals in the 2023 Liga Profesional campaign, Veliz averaged a goal every 7.5 touches inside the oppsition penalty box, that ranking sixth. Of the 117 players to muster 25 or more shots, a conversion rate of 18% ranked 12th to reinforce a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'finishing'. Feed Veliz, and he will score. 

 

There's an argument to be made, too, that a striker of Veliz's profile might actually be a better fit for Postecoglou's Spurs than Kane. Take for example Kyogo Furuhashi last season. The South Korean was a goalscoring machine for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, ending the campaign with more goals (27) and a better conversion rate (30.7%) than any other player. In addition, Furuhashi averaged a goal every 4.9 touches in the opposition box in Scotland's top tier last term, the third best return of the 40 players to score five or more goals. 

 

 

Now, there's no denying that Kane would still pile in the goals for this Spurs side under Postecoglou. The number of chances the north London side will create means he'd undoubtedly enjoy another fruitful campaign. And yet, the willingness to drop deep to help in the build up play would work against Kane. The addition of James Maddison means Spurs have the creator in midfield to pry apart defences, thus negating the 30-year-old's need to drop in the midfield. 

 

No, Spurs now need a striker who is prepared to gamble on opportunities being created by Maddison and those operating out wide. A frontman willing to make the runs to put backlines on the backfoot and play off the shoulder of the last defender. While a very small sample size, Spurs' attack has looked far more threatening with Richarlison leading the charge given the willingness to move into the space behind defences that'll leave opponents at panic stations. 

 

Veliz is one prepared to make these runs, so he should, in theory, slot into Postecoglou's side with relative ease. What's more, there's the alternative route to goal that would benefit Spurs. Only Pablo Vegetti (5) scored more headed goals than Veliz (4) in Liga Profesional this season, while a return of 4.1 aerial duels won per game ranked 10th in the division as he maximises his 6ft 1in standing. 

 

Rosario Central would, though, demand Veliz remain at the club for the remainder of the Argentine campaign with the Copa de la Liga Profesional kicking off later this month. That means Veliz wouldn't join Spurs until January 2024, but with so much interest in a striker who looks to have a big future in the game, that is a small price to pay.

Who is Alejo Veliz? The teenage hitman Tottenham want to replace Kane