Life must be so frustrating as a Tottenham Hotspur fan, just a couple of seasons ago with Gareth Bale leading the attack the Lilywhites looked a club that were going places and were capable of competing with Europe’s elite teams.
Then Real Madrid came calling and the Welsh superstar moved to the Bernabeu for a world-record £86m in 2013. Replacing the player would prove no easy task, and the London club spent over £100m bringing in the likes of Christian Eriksen, Nacer Chadli, Erik Lamela, Paulinho and Roberto Soldado to fill the void left by Bale.
Erik Lamela was the most anticipated signing of that now infamous summer, with the player possessing a similar style to Welshman. The Argentinian had been vital for Roma scoring 21 goals in 67 games before Andre Villas-Boas came calling.
Lamela joined Spurs in a club record deal worth around £30m with big things expected, however, his impressive performances in Italy just haven’t transferred over to the Premier League and Lamela has struggled to make the desired impact at White Hart Lane – he made only nine league appearances in his first season with the club, and has struggled with numerous injuries throughout his two seasons while failing to impress any of his three bosses so far when fit.
Last season the player featured a lot more regularly, but still has failed to show the promise that attracted Spurs. Lamela made 41 appearances in all competitions scoring only five goals, which, for an attacking midfielder who always wants the ball, is not good enough.
The only real impressive moment of his Tottenham career was THAT rabona goal in the Europa League… and even that was against opposition of debatable quality. There was more than a hint of good fortune about that goal, too, and if the player was to try the same move again he would probably score one out of every 25 attempts.
Astonishingly there are teams actually queuing up to end the player’s London misery, with a return to Italy with either Juventus or one of the Milan clubs being mooted.
Clearly they see something in the player that the majority of us are missing.
Juventus are the most surprising team to show interest. A world class midfield with the likes of Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio should not have a player like Lamela anywhere near it.
There has even been talk of a potential swap deal with Inter Milan playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri and should this move develop Spurs need to do all they can to secure the Swiss International. Shaqiri is twice the player Lamela is and would be the closest the club have come to actually replacing Gareth Bale.
The club have built up a squad full of distinctly average players and manager Mauricio Pochettino should jump at the chance to get rid of one of his more expensive flops.
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