‘It was a mental shock’: Lamela says Tottenham players couldn’t believe what Levy did in 2019

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In an interview with The Times, Erik Lamela opened up about his time at Tottenham Hotspur and his admiration for Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentinian attacker left Spurs in the summer after eight years at the club. Injuries hampered his Tottenham career, but he is still adored by many in and around the white side of North London.

Lamela is now at Sevilla and he’s doing really well there. However, he hasn’t forgotten about his time in North London, especially under his compatriot, Pochettino.

While speaking about the now-PSG boss, Lamela revealed his and the squad’s reaction to the news that Daniel Levy had sacked him.

Erik Lamela: Tottenham players were shocked to see Pochettino get sacked

He said: “The era with Pochettino I can say was the best, no? From when Mauricio arrived, the first season maybe wasn’t the best but after that, we got better and better. We were always very close to the top of the league, second or third.”

Asked about how Spurs players felt about Pochettino’s sacking, Lamela said: “We didn’t expect it.

“He did an amazing job to bring the club to such a high position, to qualify for the Champions League for many years in a row and always in a position to win something.

“The way he managed the team and the way we were training so hard every day, we gave our all to always improve and it was a mental shock that we were there.”

Were Spurs right to sack Pochettino?

Pochettino is arguably Tottenham’s best manager in the Premier League era. Yes, he didn’t win a trophy, but he transformed Spurs into a side capable of beating every other team in the league.

After the highs of reaching the Champions League in 2019, Tottenham started the following season in terrible fashion. They were at the bottom of the league at one point and Levy decided that the Argentine’s time was up.

Pochettino was sacked in November 2019 and almost two years on now, Spurs have only gone downhill. Jose Mourinho’s time in North London was a disappointing one, while Nuno Espirito Santo, although it’s still early days, is struggling as well.

Most fans would argue that Tottenham would’ve been in a much better position now if Pochettino was still there. Sadly for them, he has now moved on to bigger things alongside the likes of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi.