Érik Lamela Dismisses Rumors That He’ll Leave Tottenham

Tottenham winger Érik Lamela has had a tumultuous time with transfer rumors linking him to numerous clubs for the past three-and-a-half years. A reunion with Roma is just the latest rumor now.

Ever since Érik Lamela first joined Tottenham in August 2013, it seems that the Argentine winger has been linked with a move elsewhere in subsequent years.

And each time Lamela has had to deny these transfer rumors with aplomb.

Because the 24-year-old has not featured for Spurs since October 25th, in a League Cup tie against Liverpool after suffering a hip injury, unsurprisingly transfer rumors have once again reared its ugly head.

It’s gotten to a point that Lamela’s injury has slowly morphed into an opportunity for the Argentine international to leave Spurs.

Causing the Tottenham winger to express his desire to stay in north London with two tweets that weren’t necessary because Mauricio Pochettino allowed Érik Lamela to recover with Roma during the first week of January.

When Érik Lamela spent the first week of January in Rome rehabbing with Roma’s doctors under the guidance of a Spurs physician who made the trip as well, the idea that Lamela wanted to leave became too easy to fabricate.

The reason why Lamela chose to recover in Italy than in London with Tottenham’s own doctors was because it wasn’t working.

His hip had not recovered like he had hoped.

And with connections back in Roma after spending two seasons with the Serie A club, Mauricio Pochettino decided to sanction this move because it was worth a shot to see if anything could be done.

And it appears like it was worth it after all. Lamela’s hip is now good to go following a scan last Friday prior to Spurs’ match against Manchester City which revealed no serious issues.

Whatever was done worked, which is all that matters.

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This idea that Érik Lamela is not content with his current situation is rather puzzling.

For the past two seasons since Mauricio Pochettino became Tottenham manager, Lamela has undergone a major transformation from Spurs’ record signing who had his debut season cut short due to injury, and questions regarding his fit with the club, into a key player in Pochettino’s starting lineup who can play all along Spurs’ second line of attack and be a key contributor both offensively and defensively.

From 2014 through 2016, Lamela has made 90 appearances, scored 16 goals and recorded 20 assists in all competitions.

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This season, despite 14 total appearances, the 24-year-old has tallied two goals and seven assists.

So again, why is it that every single year Érik Lamela is linked with a move elsewhere?

The only logical reason anyone could think of — besides falsehoods, insinuating that Lamela “wants” to leave — is that the Argentine winger has been making great strides for two-and-a-half years based on the numbers mentioned above.

A productive winger who has made just over 40-plus games in consecutive seasons, scoring a handful of goals but most importantly, chipping in with 10 assists the past two years would be a great addition to any team looking for some help on the flanks.

The added bonus of Lamela’s desire to track back on defense and win the ball back (even if he commits some silly fouls) makes the Argentinian a complete player.

At the same time, just like Harry Kane alluded to yesterday, anyone leaving this Tottenham team which is currently on the verge of something special within a couple of seasons with a new stadium and a manager that is one of the best in Europe (sans any trophies) would be “stupid” in moving to another team.

Therefore, just because Tottenham have currently switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation for the past month, this doesn’t mean that Érik Lamela — when healthy — would no longer be a starter in this team.

The great thing with Mauricio Pochettino’s managerial skills is his flexibility in changing things up when needed.

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Because of the impact that Lamela has done over the past two seasons and this term before being sidelined with a hip injury, the 24-year-old would only make Spurs’ offense much more potent if he starts alongside Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane.

A return to the 4-2-3-1 formation wouldn’t be a bad thing, though if Mauricio Pochettino can figure out a way to keep a three-back system and incorporate Lamela into the lineup, that would be even more formidable for opposing defenses.