“Very happy” – Tottenham flop finally arrives in in home country to start fresh

Tottenham sold Alejo Véliz months ago, but the striker’s just now arrived in Brazil. And it feels like the real end of one of the strangest spells at the club in recent years.

The Argentine landed in Salvador on Monday night and is now set to complete the final steps of his move to City Football Group side Bahia, who agreed a €9m (£7.6m) deal with Tottenham earlier this year.

In many ways, it is a move that closes a chapter which never really got going in north London.

Tottenham signed Véliz from Rosario Central in 2023 after he emerged as one of Argentina’s most promising young forwards. The expectation was that Spurs had secured a striker for the future.

Instead, injuries, limited opportunities and a series of loans prevented him from establishing himself.

Véliz had made only a handful of appearances for Tottenham and scored just once. That goal came as a late consolation in a 4-1 defeat away to Brighton & Hove Albion. It proved to be both his first and last goal for the club.

Three loans and no breakthrough

Tottenham spent much of the last two years trying to find the right environment for Véliz to develop.

The striker went on loan to Sevilla, then to Espanyol, and finally back to Rosario Central. Despite those opportunities, he never quite reached the level Spurs hoped for when they invested in him.

His final loan was arguably the most successful. Rosario Central fought hard to keep him until the end of the campaign, and Véliz wanted the same.

He finished the season with six goals in 24 appearances as the Argentine side reached the semi-finals of the Argentine championship.

That connection was obvious during his farewell. Just days before travelling to Brazil, he scored in his final home match and left the pitch in tears.

Why he chose Bahia

Speaking after arriving in Salvador, Véliz admitted the decision was emotional, particularly because of what Rosario Central means to him. His comments were relayed by Globo Esporte.

“I am very happy with this step in my career, arriving at this club. I am very emotional about leaving Rosario Central because that is my home and my family. We made this decision because I want to grow my career somewhere else. It was the best decision we made as a family.”

The striker also revealed he spoke with Bahia forward Mateo Sanabria, a former teammate in Argentina’s youth setup, before agreeing to the move.

“At first, he wrote to me and I spoke to him before making the decision.”

Véliz added that he had already been watching Bahia from afar and was impressed by the atmosphere created by the supporters.

“I watched the fans a lot. I also watched the recent matches. It is incredible. I hope I can give back a little of what they do.”

For Tottenham, the story is now over. The club have their €9m (£7.6m) sale, Bahia finally have the striker they chased for years, and Véliz gets the fresh start that never quite arrived in north London.