Making a case for Tottenham’s Erik Lamela

Add as preferred source on Google

We all sat and waited through the 13/14 season for the magic of Erik Lamela. Frankly, we spent that season (and the 14/15 season) waiting for the magic to come from the entire 2013 summer transfer window, with very limited exception.

Lamela was one of seven players bought during the summer transfer window of 2013. With the £85.1m football record-breaking transfer fee earned by selling Welshman Gareth Bale to Los Blancos, the Chairman opened the purse for then-manager AVB as the Club made several Spurs record-breaking and near record-breaking signings.

The likes of Lamela (£30m), the much-maligned and under-utilized striker Roberto Soldado (£26.2m) and hot and cold midfielder Paulinho (£17m) were three of the top-four transfers Spurs had ever brought to White Hart Lane. Of the three big-money transfers, only Lamela remains with the Lilywhites as they approach the 16/17 season.

The bargain of the bunch that summer, and the footballer with the highest return on investment thus far for Spurs, was (and is) Christian Eriksen, signed for a bargain at £11.5m.

The rest of the transfer class of the summer of ’13 was an unmitigated bust. Vlad Chiriche? (£9m) was a disaster at centerback, with covering runs that were all over the map and reminded most of us of the travels of Magellan. Magellan was best known for circumnavigating the earth; Chiriche? was best known for circumventing every ball that ran through the final 3^rd (and especially those inside the 18’).

Étienne Capoue (£9m) had brief glimpses of what a good midfielder could and should do, but he lacked consistency, pace and control on and off the ball. Nacer Chadli (£9m), the sometimes talented Belgian midfielder, was fairly productive in Europe in 13/14, showed flashes of positivity in 14/15, but was a clear worst-case selection for Mauricio Pochettino In 15/16.

Chiriche? and Capoue were sent on their way after the 14/15 season. I would be very surprised if Spurs don’t part ways with Chadli between now and the end of the January transfer window. With the rise and depth of quality midfield players at Pochettino’s disposal, Chadli will be – at best – relegated to the bench for Champions League and FA Cup competitions.

One of the benefits of living in the US is that concurrent tournaments, like the Euros and the Copa, are played at different times of the day. It was enjoyable to watch England (albeit not the prettiest football I’ve ever seen), Belgium and Wales during the days, and watch the US, Argentina, Chile and Brazil in the evenings.

When it comes to signing footballers, the “Moneyball” pundits will remind you to never overpay for a player that shines brightly during a major international competition. Far too often, players have played their best football for country, but have stumbled when trying to replicate that success for club. This is often the case with imported players that cannot make the adjustments required to acclimate to a new culture, and new language and a new team’s style of play.

Lamela wasn’t the star of the Argentina squad that that reached the Copa America final. He was, however, electric as a member of the supporting cast.

Lamela played in six of Argentina’s Copa America matches, earning one start in what must be considered one of the best midfields in the Americas. In 202 minutes on the pitch, he attempted five shots, put three on frame and netted two… One for roughly each 101 minutes (1:101). For midfield players in the Copa, only Coutinho (Brazil) and Edson Puch (Chile) netted more goals per minute played (1:90 and 1:99, respectively) than did Lamela. What makes this statistically relavent is the depth and quality that Argentina have as a national team.

What makes this even more relevant is how, over the span of three seasons at Spurs, we have seen the quality of Lamela grow exponentially – specifically between the 14/15 and 15/16 seasons. And that growth has been quite evident in league play, not just in Europe. And not just on International duty. It has been evident across all competitions.

With the revolving door of managers early on in Lamela’s time with Spurs, did he have a chance to acclimate to the English culture? To learn the language? To fit in? No. AVB wasn’t around long enough. Tim Sherwood was, frankly, Roy Hodgson in a Tim Sherwood costume, and Lamela’s quality wasn’t apparent.

What has been apparent, however, is the drastic development, increased quality, work rate and fitness that we watched during the 15/16 season. It is the influence and confidence of Pochettino, a fellow Argentine and former top-flight player himself, that has turned the light on and dialed the intensity up for Lamela.

Yes, sometimes Lamela can be reckless off the ball. Arguably, and statistically, he had more fouls called on him (per minute played) than any other player in the Premier League in 15/16. I don’t knock Lamela on his high discipline rate; I admire his tenacity and fire, and admire the uptick in his defensive cover which has also grown leaps and bounds. I am also excited about his growth in creativity on and off the ball.

So what role does the Argentine play in a talent-laden midfield for Spurs moving forward?

That’s a great question. Assuming that Poch stays with a 4-2-3-1 (at least initially), for me it’s Eriksen – Alli – Lamela in one shape or another (I prefer Eriksen in behind Kane with Alli and Lamela on either side, but that’s just me). It’s Wanyama and Dier behind them, and Walker, Alderweireld, a healthy Vertonghen and Danny Rose in front of Lloris (sorry, Ben Davies). I just don’t see a world (or a team sheet) where Son, Mason, Bentaleb, Chadli or Tommy Carroll get selected over Lamela in the Premier League, provided that Lamela continues his positive growth and quality play.

When Dembélé returns from suspension, things will get interesting in Poch’s starting XI. Prior to Matchweek 5, I fully expect to see Lamela tally 300+ minutes, to find the back of the net twice, and to continue to create quality chances for himself and his teammates.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by [email protected]