On the latest episode of The Extra Inch podcast, Chris Miller, Nathan Clark and @BardiTFC have been reflecting on the latest goings-on at Tottenham Hotspur, looking back on the win against Everton, and previewing the game against Bournemouth on Thursday night.
One topic of conversation on the recent episode, which was titled ‘The Cult Of Mourinho‘, was Spurs winger Lucas Moura. The Brazilian struggled to have much impact in the game against Everton on Monday evening, earning a disappointing 6.41/10 rating, and it seems as if those on the podcast are desperate to see Steven Bergwijn start ahead of him against Bournemouth.
Here’s what Clark had to say about the former PSG man on the podcast:
“I can’t see a reason that Lucas needs to be playing nearly the full 90 every game, three days apart and Bergwijn, who is just for me in every way a superior footballer, can’t. It’s frustrating, it’s very frustrating. He has a particularly frustrating style about him.
“He’s not a bad player, obviously, I think it’s easy for me to allow my frustration about him to paint him as if he’s poor but he’s not. He’s very skilled. He’s a high-level player, but the means by which he puts his abilities to use is extremely frustrating.”
Miller seems to disagree with Clark’s claim that Moura is a high-level player, however, suggesting that: (11:11)
“I just don’t think he’s anywhere near good enough for where we want to be. I think personally, that he’s a lower-level Premier League player and upper-Championship-level footballer.”
TIF Thoughts…
Since signing for Spurs from PSG in January 2018, Moura has gone on to make, prior to Thursday’s game with Bournemouth, 102 appearances for the North London club; contributing 23 goals and nine assists (per Transfermarkt).
Of course, the Brazilian will always be fondly remembered by Spurs fans for his incredible hat-trick in last season’s Champions League semi-final, but you can also argue that four goals and two assists in 30 top-flight appearances (per Whoscored) this season is far from good enough.
Do you agree that Moura is a frustrating player?
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With recent reports suggesting that Spurs could swap Moura for Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik this summer, perhaps the £28.8million-rated man could leave the club, which would perhaps delight Miller and Clark, based on their comments on the podcast.