Erik Lamela joined Tottenham Hotspur for a rumoured £30 million, a pricetag that divided fan’s opinions. Where some thought the £30 million would be what his potential was worth, rather than his current ability, others thought that it was too much, especially after his not so desirable showing last season.
Lamela has only scored one goal for the club and has notched a few assists too. This has mainly been due to his injury problems which were kept in the dark, leaving fans frustrated and clueless about when such a shining star will emerge again. His stand out performance was undoubtedly the game against FC Sheriff, where grabbed his first goal.
After the goal went in it gave the Argentinian great confidence to showcase his true ability later in the game. Instead of playing some safe passes, he opted for flicks and tricks, which really lit up the lane in the absence of Gareth Bale and countless other Spurs players in the past. Will Lamela ever be a direct replacement for Bale? Maybe. Lamela does play in an attacking role like Bale and could certainly match Bale for goals and assists, but he brings other things too.
Bale was very handy for Spurs, scoring unbelievable goals that were important late on in the game too. But, Lamela can play a more supportive role in which to supply Emmanuel Adebayor and Harry Kane. Also, the interplay between Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Lewis Holtby could be one of dreams for Spurs fans. Those three players could certainly show a few teams up.
With his great dribbling ability, Lamela will be able to win many freekicks for his team. Any freekicks won around the edge of the box, or even 5 yards out from there, will give teammate Eriksen an excellent opportunity to score or deliver accurate balls into the box. Mentioning freekicks, Lamela has a good cross on him too, and with a different favoured foot to that of Eriksen, Tottenham will be very capable in mixing up their freekick routines. They also might be able to swing in a decent corner… for once!
There have been a few rumours circulating as they always do, about the future of some Spurs players, including Lamela. But these rumours have also been quashed in the same way. This is undoubtedly good news for the fans, as Lamela could be a really special player in the future. Following in the footsteps of Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles. He may have some big boots to fill, but he can certainly go quite a way to doing so. Keeping hold of him is key. Making the mistake of selling big players is what has previously cost Spurs chances of getting into the Champions league, or from winning domestic cups. At the age of 22 Lamela has plenty of time left to prove his worth. The club and the fans must stay patient with the player as he will soon prove himself, perhaps as soon as next season.
Before pre-season had officially started, Lamela went back to his first club, River Plate, in order to make sure he was fit and ready for the new season. He has been increasingly more involved on Twitter, where he has been communicating with fans in English, a language that he has seemingly struggled to adapt to so far. It is evident that his English has been improving. He should be one of the fitter players ahead of Spurs pre-season, which means he has plenty of time to blend in with his team-mates and to also display how good he can be in the friendlies.
“Always take Lamela, everywhere you go!” Spurs fans must be hoping that the board has listened to their chants and that Lamela will staying for long-term at the club.
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