A lot of Tottenham Hotspur fans have replied to a post from Hotspur Related that has relayed quotes made by Andros Townsend on talkSPORT.
The Crystal Palace winger claimed that there was unrest in Spurs’ dressing room when he was at the club over wages.
Townsend uses Erik Lamela as an example and claims that the Argentine was on around £60-70k per week and that he was on just £5,000 per week, despite being ahead of him in the pecking order.
This caused some unrest in Townsend’s view, and it has drawn a reaction from these Spurs fans, who have slated Lamela.
Do you like Townsend's claims?
No, trying to cause disruption for no reason
Yes, needed to be said
7 years later and he’s still a bench player, on even more money probably ???????????????
— RJ (@rjcanfly) August 5, 2020
That’s was 5 years ago. Dead to think what lamela in now. Hope it’s a high goals bonus. And not getting admitted to hospital bonus.
— RSpurs(“Don’t get your hopes up.”Levy Jan31st2020) (@RSpurs1980) August 5, 2020
Very poor comments, I think this is reason he’s not at Tottenham.
In this way the whole football structure will be collapse.
Idk how many unrests Harry Kane cause and there are other players as well in other teams who were on very unequal wages. https://t.co/FS0NlcZf5V— Aditya Kanungo (@adityakanungo1) August 5, 2020
Fighting with fitness coaches doesnt help either mate https://t.co/p1PlXcM33S
— Jamie (@JB14299) August 5, 2020
Lamela joined Spurs in 2013, and seven years later, he is still with the club and has made 222 appearances, in which he has scored 33 goals and provided 47 assists.
Whereas Townsend has played for Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, so although there might have been some unrest, it was Townsend who moved on and not Lamela.
Many Spurs fans were critical of these comments from the former Spurs winger and were not afraid to hide their feelings on the matter.
so basically Townsend caused unrest because we signed a player who was adapting where as all he’d do is run with no end product, at all… (I’m pretty sure he still doesn’t have an end product)
— Liam (@Leeeeaaaamm) August 5, 2020
Hadn’t Townsend only just broken into the team whereas Lamela was off the back of a great season for Roma? Hardly surprising.
— Doug P (@wastetimewisely) August 5, 2020
He or his agent negotiated this wage not Lamela agent. Bitter is put he.
— Luda (@Luda_6550) August 5, 2020
This is an interesting claim from Townsend, and it suggests that all was not right in the 2013/14 season, but considering Spurs finished sixth, it might not have had that much impact.
The following season, Mauricio Pochettino came in, and Townsend only played 42 more games for Spurs before he departed the club in January 2016, while Lamela stayed and played 183 games for Pochettino, so it is pretty clear from that who the Argentine boss preferred.
So, Townsend might have been annoyed by the wage difference at the time, but is there any reason to bring it up now? We think not.