It’s funny how quickly opinions change in the footballing world. Pundits are forced to swallow their words so often, it’s a wonder that we pay attention to any of them.
Take for instance, Tottenham’s summer of spending. Knowing they were set to lose out on Gareth Bale, Andre Villas-Boas and Daniel Levy set out to replace him, seemingly by signing as many players as they could. At the time, pundits met this spending spree with gleeful delight.
Hyperbole abounded. There were those who claimed that Spurs were now potential title challengers. Many prominent media figures were frothing at the mouth in anticipation.
Well, they’ve all let themselves down. Hindsight is 20/20, but it’s always worth remembering that it takes a while for new players to settle into a new club. Bringing in too many new recruits at once is a recipe for disaster. That’s proven to be the case at White Hart Lane, where players like Nacer Chadli and Roberto Soldado have struggled to adjust to their new surroundings.
The worst offender of the bunch is Erik Lamela, who has made just 17 appearances for Spurs and has only managed to find the back of the net once. That’s a pretty poor return for a player with a £30m price-tag.
It should serve as a reminder that one good season does not make a player the real deal. Lamela scored 15 goals in 35 performances last season, but was this really enough to earn him such a monstrous price-tag?
The Mirror now suggest that Inter Milan are ‘readying a bid’ to bring the 21-year-old back to Serie A, after just a year on English soil. Were Milan to seal the deal, this would represent a shocking confession on the part of Tottenham football club. It would read as follows: we got this one majorly wrong.
Lamela wont be happy sticking around White Hart Lane and earning the occasional substitute appearance. If he’s given the opportunity to restart his career elsewhere, I’m sure he wont think twice.
One thing’s for sure, however: Spurs won’t be able to recoup the full £30m they spent on him in the summer. If they do sell, they’ll have to accept a massive loss.
But this may be a necessary step in the evolution of the club. Tim Sherwood can’t afford to have players on his wage bill that aren’t pulling their weight. There has to be a cheaper option out there who can provide more bang for his buck, doesn’t there?
What’s your take? Is it time to wave goodbye to Erik Lamela after his short stay in the Premier League?
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Why not wait until the lad’s fit again before passing judgement. This continual sniping is such piss-poor ‘reporting’ (if you can call it that).
Harry, the language of your article is inflammatory and inappropriate. Eric Lamela isn’t an”offender” and his 17 appearances doesn’t relate to starts. I’m not sure you have even watched him play. The truth is he hasn’t had a big enough chance on the pitch to fit in to the team. I will accept that this could be a consequence of having 7 new signings all trying to gel into a unit but in order for him to “pull his weight” as you say, he needs to be playing. I suspect he would love the chance to show what he is capable of. If Tim Sherwood can’t afford to have players on the wage bill that aren’t pulling their weight maybe he should try playing them. Or is that too obvious for you.
Please let the rumour that a swop with Ballotelli be just that, a rumour. It’s stating the obvious I know but the only way Lamela is going to come good is to play him no matter what. We may as well write this season off as far as 4th spot is concerned so why not prepare for next season by playing Lamela and Soldado and treat it as a dress rehearsal for next season.