On the latest episode of the Last Word On Spurs podcast, Ricky Sacks, Jamie Brown, Lee McQueen and Chris Cowlin have been discussing the latest goings-on at Tottenham Hotspur and have been providing instant reaction to the Lilywhites’ 3-1 win against KF Shkendija in the Europa League qualifying fixture.
One topic of discussion on the recent podcast, which was titled ‘Superb Sonny‘, was the performance of Erik Lamela in the 3-1 win. The Argentinian winger opened the scoring in North Macedonia early on and earned a superb 9.21/10 rating for his performance, which saw him rated as the second-best player on the pitch (per Whoscored).
The 28-year-old signed for Spurs back in August 2013 and he has gone on to make 225 appearances for the Lilywhites in his seven years with the club, contributing 34 goals and 47 assists (per Transfermarkt).
However, it is perhaps safe to assume he would have made significantly more appearances, had he not struggled with injury problems throughout his time with the North London club.
Here’s what Brown had to say about the former Roma man on the podcast:
“Lamela is so frustrating. We all know there is a very talented player in there, but unfortunately, those injuries have just hampered him. He’s a guy that Jose Mourinho clearly likes, I think his work ethic is something that Jose Mourinho really likes about him. I think he’s a guy that is worth keeping around in the squad. I know it’s obviously frustrating that he does pick up these injuries, but I think there are times when he can come in, and he’s a guy that has always performed in Europe for Spurs.
“I know there’s talk about maybe moving him on and being one of the guys we do move on just to raise some funds, but I think he’s definitely worth keeping around the squad. I think Jose Mourinho is a big fan. He will come in and do a job, especially in these European games, and we need that big squad. It was nice to see him get on the scoresheet and he’s a guy that I’d like to see stay at Spurs for at least one more year.”
TIF Thoughts…
As Brown mentions, Lamela’s injury problems have no doubt been a cause for frustration at times amongst Spurs fans, but if he can stay fit then there is no reason why he can’t be an important player in Mourinho’s squad this season, especially considering the number of games they will have to play, if they continue to progress in the Europa League.
Would you keep Lamela as a back-up option?
Yes
No
Brown suggests that Mourinho is a big fan of the Argentinian’s work ethic, which is backed up by him praising the 28-year-old for his willingness to play for Spurs last season, despite carrying a knock at the time, so it would perhaps be a surprise to see him leave the club, even though the Portuguese manager has a plethora of options in the wing position.