OPINION
Erik Lamela should have left Tottenham on loan in January as it would have been the best decision regarding the winger in the long run.
The Independent previously reported that the Saints had enquired about whether a deal could be done for the 25-year-old on transfer deadline day and the newspaper suggested if Lamela was to leave, it would be on loan.
However, the 25-year-old didn’t leave on Wednesday and instead played 10 minutes of football in Spurs’ 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
Football.London reported that Tottenham have no intention of letting Lamela go and were planning on offering the winger a new contract in the summer.
The website also shared that Mauricio Pochettino was still a fan of the winger and his lack of games was due to the manager easing him back into action after a long time on the sidelines.
Lamela spent over a year out with a thigh injury and return to action in November when he made a brief cameo appearance against Leicester City.
Since then the 25-year-old has made 13 appearances across all competitions, but has only played 90 minutes on one occasion.
Now there’s no denying that Lamela offers a much needed creative presence in Tottenham’s team when he plays, he grabs two assists this season, but he can’t get back to his best without regular football.
If he was at his best he’d have way more than two assists, as previously in 137 outings for Spurs, Lamela has scored 19 while creating 33 goals.
The winger, who can feature on either flank, needs to play games to completion in order to find his groove once again.
Tottenham can’t offer him that because that can’t afford to play someone who isn’t firing on all cylinders due to lacking match sharpness.
Spurs are in a uphill battle to win trophies this season and are in a fierce fight to finish in the top four, therefore Lamela can’t feature in a lot of Spurs’ games in the second half of the season as too much is riding on them.
The arrival of Lucas Moura will also limit the winger’s appearances as the Brazilian is capable of doing everything Lamela can do and much more.
Lamela is talented enough to provide Moura with competition for a place in the team, but only when he is at his best.
Therefore, it would be a smart decision by Pochettino if he would have let Lamela to join Southampton as he would have got regular football with the Saints.
This would have seen him improve, which would have allowed him to return to Tottenham in the summer as a player ready to be a key member of the team next season.