Nuno Espirito Santo has been presented with a new quandary, after summer signing Bryan Gil said his favourite position on the football pitch is left-wing.
The Spaniard was signed by Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth £22.5m after an impressive campaign with Sevilla which saw the La Liga side finish in fourth position.
He has made six appearances for the Lilywhites this season, but he is yet to be included in the starting eleven for any of Tottenham ’s Premier League matches.
However, when speaking ahead of their Europa Conference League match against NS Mura, Gil offered an insight into the position he prefers to operate in within a team.
"My favourite position is the left winger but I can adapt to any position the manager tells me," said Gil.
Gil was one of the few players to impress in Tottenham’s chastening 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby.
He was brought on for fellow midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, and Spurs immediately looked more threatening with his presence.
However, despite his performance at the Emirates, he could find starts for Tottenham very had to come by.
Son Heung-Min, who scored a consolation goal in the defeat to Mikel Arteta’s side, is currently the first choice left-winger at Spurs.
The South Korean has arguably been Tottenham’s best player this season, and is without question their biggest attacking threat aside from Harry Kane.
It could be argued his signing is another questionable decision from new manager Santo.
The former Wolves boss endured a volatile summer transfer window dominated by speculation surrounding Kane’s future, amid two failed bids from Manchester City.
Spurs spent around £100m on the likes of Emerson Royal, Cristian Romero, Pierluigi Gollini, and Gil this summer.
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They also shelled out £15m on young defensive midfielder Pape Sarr, but the 18-year-old was loaned back to FC Metz for the season.
However, Gil’s admission means he will likely have to be started out of position, unless Son is rested, dropped, or injured.
While he did not say he was frustrated about not being able to play in his favoured left-wing position, most footballers are uncomfortable about having to adapt to a new position.
At 22 years old, he has the youthful malleability required to perhaps adapt to a role on the right-hand side or perhaps behind the striker.
Of course, Santo would have known this ahead of signing him.
With Seville deploying a large number of different formations this season, Gil was frequently fielded in alternative roles outside of his comfort zone.
He has been deployed as an attacking midfielder behind the striker, as well as on both flanks.
As well as this, he also been played as an inside forward on both sides under Julen Lopetegui.
Santo will be forensically analysing Gil’s attributed in training and in matches, but he will have to figure it out quickly.
After a fantastic start which saw Spurs win their first three League matches 1-0, they have been rocked by three consecutive defeats away to Crystal Palace, at home to Chelsea and away to Arsenal on Sunday.
Spurs have gone from 1st place,to 11th place in just a matter of weeks.
However, their Europa Conference League tie against Slovenian side NS Mura, will be an excellent opportunity for Santo’s side to get back on track.
