Erik Lamela

Christian Erikson and Erik Lamela have emerged the two outstanding acquisitions from the original 7 players that were meant to represent the spend on money gained from the sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid.  Lamela this week scored another goal for Argentina, so is now beginning to have an impact on the international stage, that speaks to his potential and promise.  Things however were very bleak when Spurs purchased him initially.

At the start of last season failure to find an appropriate player exchange, Lamela was not sold to Olympique de Marseille and Lamela remained back at Spurs.  The season that followed saw Lamela blossom into a vital part of the current Tottenham team.  As Inter Milan pursue his purchase now, it would be a tragedy to become a selling club again.  Yes Lamela had an awful start to his Tottenham career, but this was a player that was always one for the future.

His success at Roma that attracted Spurs to pay such a huge fee.  His success at Roma was down to his natural technical ability and in Seria A there is a premium on players who are suited to a more tactical game.  The Premier League however is far more physical and played at a frentic place, and Lamela could not adjust to the pace of the game when he arrived.  He was also very young and more importantly did not speak English.

The arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as a fellow Argentine was critical in keeping Lamela, but he also put Lamela through one of the most strenuous fitness regiments and built him up physically.  So much so that last year in the 2015-16 Spurs fans finally got a glimpse of all the potential that the club had paid for.   Instead of being a silky smooth player, Lamela has become a player who does not shirk tough tackles and puts all his energy into Pochettino's high pressing style.  Without actually planning for it, like Eric Dier, Spurs had stumbled upon the right player for a particular style of football.

The arrival this summer of more midfielders will put pressure on his place, but along with Christian Erikson, Delli Ali and Harry Kane, this as a foursome have proven to become a strong forward line for Spurs.  The natural gifted talent that Lamela possesses has not fully developed yet and now add his commitment and willingness to work very hard, makes him a player Spurs should not be tempted to sell, either because of an attractive offer or thinking that it will recoup the original outlay.  If he went to Inter Milan and developed further there, he will be worth more eventually than what Spurs initially paid for him.

His commitment to win is underscored by his frustration that Spurs keep setting their bar low by setting targets of simply qualifying for the Champions League.  He wants Spurs to be thinking, talking, playing and developing as perennial title challengers - which is a title that Spurs have not won for over 55 years (last league title was in 1961).  For all the Spurs fans that originally did not believe in him when he first started, there are very few that would be happy to see him go.  His passion on the field was demonstrated after Spurs surrendered the title with a 2-2 draw at Chelsea - his look of disgust was one that spoke of 2nd place as not being good.

He was also one of the few players who showed character and will to keep playing well, even when other teammates decided to take the day off in their final away game at Newcastle.  Lamela not only scored a good goal in the pummeling Spurs received, but that same face of disgust arose at the final whistle as Spurs meekly surrendered 2nd place to their bitter North London Rivals from Arsenal.   There may have been a feeling that if Spurs are to finish above Arsenal for the first time in two decades, it should be with a league title in their hands.

His audacious goal in a Europa League match simply demonstrates what he is capable of

Another part of any great footballers story is that they actually develop a story.  There are always great players who miss out on titles and championships but when a team focuses themselves in a vision of something far bigger than was conceived before, these stories begin to emerge and take on a life of their own.  What makes Erik Lamela's story special is that his story was captured when he was 12 years old and the documentary with the 12 year old Erik Lamela is well worth watching because it traces his early development and is a fascinating account of professional aspirations.

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