Tottenham 2017-18 Player Preview: Érik Lamela

Assuming the stars align just right, this Tottenham player preview for Érik Lamela will actually mean something within the next few months.

The player has not suited up for Tottenham since October of last year, having suffered complications with both hips and a family emergency that required a trip home to Argentina.

Though still not fully recovered for the start of the season on Sunday, Lamela appears on that path. As cliched as it is to say, his return will legitimately feel like a new signing for Mauricio Pochettino and his squad.

But is he a signing that Tottenham actually need?

This time last year it was hard to imagine how Pochettino would survive without Lamela in the side. His preferred 4-2-3-1 relied heavily on the Argentinian’s ability to blend between — and stitch together — midfield and attack.

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Even before his injury last season it was clear that Spurs could cope without him however. Heung-min Son enjoyed a wonderful September, and indeed proved a force in attacking midfield for the rest of the season. Christian Eriksen, meanwhile, slid right into Lamela’s liminal role — and still retained his outstanding creative output with eight goals and 15 assists.

Lamela’s place in the starting XI became further in doubt after Pochettino’s switch to a 3-4-2-1. That system clearly only had room for two attacking midfielders, specifically Eriksen and Dele Alli. Perhaps Lamela could be a rotation option there, but he would certainly be fourth pick after those two and Son.

None of which are good reason to give up on Lamela, however. He remains the second best playmaker at the club after Eriksen. Pochettino also occasionally reverts to the 4-2-3-1 formation he used during his first two seasons with the club, and Lamela is a natural for the right side of the attacking midfield trio.

He is also still only 25, and only just began hinting at his potential at Spurs before succumbing to injury. If he can sustain that pre-injury rhythm after returning to fitness it might be that Lamela is this season’s Son: an almost forgotten squad member who worms his way back into relevance.

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With no predicted date of return, it still might be a while yet before we get any hint on how Lamela’s season will turn out. He remains an asset regardless however.