Bryan Gil has spoken about his Premier League experiences with Tottenham and why he wanted to return to Sevilla on loan.
The 21-year-old Spaniard joined Spurs from Sevilla in the summer of 2021 and although this season has brought more appearances and a couple of Premier League starts due to injuries in Antonio Conte's squad, he has still been a peripheral figure on the whole. Conte has praised Gil and compared him to Manchester City star Bernardo Silva but he remains down the pecking order at Tottenham, particularly after the arrival of Arnaut Danjuma from Villarreal.
With Lucas Moura also getting his first minutes in months for Spurs' U21s on Friday night, after a problematic tendon inflammation issue, Conte greenlit the loan back to Sevilla for Gil until the end of the season. The player has been speaking in a press conference about his return to a club he joined at nine-years-old and is close to his heart.
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"Sevilla is the club that has seen me grow and where I have been happy. It is the club of my life, I did not expect to return and when I my agent said so, I told him not to look anymore," he said. "The affection that both my family and I have for this club is incredible. It is a club that represents me, I made my debut at the age of 17 on Three Kings Day."
On his experiences since leaving Sevilla two and a half years ago, he said: "I was at Eibar during the pandemic, it went very well for me despite the penalty of relegation. Individually it went well, then at Tottenham, also at Valencia, all these experiences serve to make you stronger.
"In the Premier League the physical level is noticeable, the referees allow more, but the less physical players can also stand out if you adapt well. This season is when I have gone the most to the gym to improve that physique, because my constitution is not the same as Pape Gueye's, for example."
The young Spaniard believes that he returns to his homeland a better player than the one that left, despite his lack of starts in a Spurs shirt.
"I think I have improved. Before, I used to catch the ball and have fun dribbling. I started the year playing and I feel good physically. The first reaction was one of maximum joy, I wanted to come and in the end it was done," he said. "My agent called me yesterday to travel this morning and it is a maximum joy as I say.
"My brother must have cried, I carry it inside. I didn't want the option to fall and I didn't tell anyone, you prepare it and it doesn't turn out so well."
Gil admitted that he spoke with Erik Lamela in the summer, who went the other way in the deal Spurs made for the 21-year-old.
"I spoke with Lamela when we were in Korea and they have spoken very well of him too, with the Argentines I have always gotten along well. Banega, for example, helped me a lot," he said.
"I really wanted and was excited to come here, I come to help and enjoy and take advantage of the fact that I am here to be a better player. Both my family and those around me wanted to come here and we are happy. When Sevilla presented itself as an option we all knew that in my head there was no other possibility."
He added on Sevilla: "It's where I want to be, I have to focus on the present, I have to take advantage of these six months and enjoy. Sevilla made a terrible effort, I insisted a lot that the best thing was to come here and I thank the club for trusting me once again."
Gil admits that he now has to earn the confidence of his coach, Jorge Sampaoli, who called the player to get him to come to Sevilla and previously wanted him at Marseille.
"I am very happy and excited to return to the club that saw me grow. I will have to earn Sampaoli's confidence to play the maximum possible minutes," said Gil. "All experiences add up. I went out on loan to Eibar, individually it was my best year despite the relegation, then I went to London and it was difficult for me to adapt, but it all adds up, since every experience makes you a better player and a better person."
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