Tottenham Hotspur’s new Colombian signing Juan Pablo Gonzalez Velasco begins to make an impact.
One of Tottenham Hotspur’s more under the radar summer signings was Juan Pablo Gonzalez Velasco.
SkySports confirmed in late August that Spurs had clinched a deal to sign the teenage talent, who had become available when Brentford closed their academy.
Velasco, 17, has been playing for Tottenham’s under-18 side, and his latest performance saw him picked out for praise.
Speaking after the 2-2 draw with Swansea City, head of youth development John McDermott singled out his contribution after coming on as a substitute.
He said, commenting to Tottenham’s official website: “I thought Juan-Pablo (Gonzalez-Velasco) made a little bit of a difference when he came on and just injected a little bit of penetration into it, the tide turned, we had some glaring misses but even if we’d won I think we’d have left disappointed because of the manner that we played in the first hour.”
It is a long journey into the first team for Velasco, but he can take hope from the way Marcus Edwards, who is the same age, has already made in roads into Mauricio Pochettino’s plans.
Velasco’s immediate priority is to establish himself as a starter for the under-18s, and then work his way into the under-23 side, but the early signs are positive, that he is winning the faith of his coaches.
Velasco is a Colombian youth international, who has one cap for his country’s under-17 side.
