If Antonio Conte was granted the power to bring his vision of the perfect footballer to life, the end result would be a powerful six-footer in their late 20s or early 30s, blessed with marathon-level endurance, exemplary commitment, intuitive tactical discipline and sound technical skill.
Given his preference for varsity athletes over ballet dancers, Conte probably wouldn’t conjure up a Bryan Gil-type figure, a wiry 21-year-old winger whose boyish features, slender build and DIY haircut make him look more like an A level exchange student than a Premier League footballer.
All nine players signed by Tottenham over the past two transfer windows are at least six feet tall. That, it seems, is a Conte pre-requisite. If he could pick a team of Ivan Perisics – arguably the perfect example of a hypothetical Conte prototype – you suspect that he probably would. Nevertheless, through circumstance rather than choice, Conte has turned to the fresh-faced Spaniard to help ignite Spurs’ stuttering season.
Gil has barely had a look-in during Conte’s spell in charge, featuring in only 14 of 61 games and spending the second half of last season on loan at Valencia. So peripheral has Gil been since joining for £21m from Sevilla in the summer of 2021, that Wednesday’s 4-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace was just his second Premier League start, coming only three days after his first against Aston Villa.
Had Dejan Kulusevski or Richarlison been available for either match, he would still be waiting to make his full debut. And had Spurs managed to source a replacement on deadline day in September, he would have been back in Valencia. Gil articulated his disappointment at that late transfer collapse in trademark footballer fashion: via a cryptic Instagram post.
There were two moments in the first 15 minutes at Selhurst Park that underlined why Gil has struggled to force his way into Conte’s plans. First when a Matt Doherty cross zipped off the top of his head inside the six-yard-box – a chance that one of the army of six-footers probably would have taken – and second when Jeffrey Schlupp brushed off his attempts to regain possession, like an older brother swatting away a sibling attempting to stage a coup for the television.
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But Gil’s performance during his 77 minutes on the pitch – the most action he has had in a Spurs shirt since playing 90 minutes in a 1-0 Europa Conference League defeat to Vitesse Arnhem in October 2021 – was excellent. He set the tone for a rare quick Spurs start, registering their first two shots of the evening, and was heavily involved in three of the four goals, expertly setting up Harry Kane’s second with an incisive ball and playing the pass before the final pass in the other two.
"Wonderful. Ruthless. Harry Kane with two!"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 4, 2023
What a FINISH that ispic.twitter.com/LtK716lYph
Gil was given a rousing reception by the visiting fans as he made his exit and embraced by his manager upon reaching the touchline. It felt like a significant turning point for a player who had been tipped to return to Spain again during this month’s transfer window. Conte’s post-match comments were also notable, the Italian insisting that the forward was “born to play football” before comparing him to Manchester City’s silky streetfighter Bernardo Silva.
“He understands football quickly he’s so clever, so intelligent to understand the situation,” said Conte, who also reserved praise for fellow youngsters Oliver Skipp (22) and Pape Matar Sarr (20) for their contributions to a much-needed win.
It was a night of milestones for Spurs. Kane made his 300th Premier League appearance and surpassed Alan Shearer’s record for the most goals scored by that landmark in the competition’s history (with 198), while Son Heung-min’s strike moved him level with Teddy Sheringham as the club’s second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League on 97. Gil’s first Premier League assist may seem trivial in comparison, but it won’t be for him.
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The Spaniard showed that he has the craft, guile and intelligence to be a decisive difference-maker for Spurs in the Premier League. While not as complete as Kulusevski, who was missing due to an ankle injury, Gil is the closest stylistic fit to the Swede that Spurs possess, owing to his cultured left foot, tendency to drift intelligently into pockets of space, graft off the ball and crucially, provide a creative link to Kane. All that’s missing is muscle.
“This league is difficult because you have to be good in quality, fast and have good endurance, but at the same time you have to be strong physically,” Conte stated. “I think if you compare to last season he is improving a lot. [But] he needs to get stronger.
“I compared him to Bernardo Silva, at Manchester City, because in my opinion, they are really, really similar. He has to continue to work really strongly on the physical aspect because I repeat we are talking about a player with great quality.”
Following his team’s most convincing win of the campaign, Conte took a break from making his customary transfer demands, no doubt keeping his complaints in reserve for the next defeat. Like virtually every top-flight club, Spurs could benefit from reinforcements over the next few weeks if they are to achieve their objectives for the season. But Gil’s unexpected emergence has at least given welcome depth to the attack. Even if he is only 5’7.
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