There is some great news coming out from the Spurs camp this week after reports claimed that star winger Erik Lamela is ready to pen a new contract with the club. This should put of interest from other clubs across Europe that were keen on securing services for Lamela. Having come back to draw 2-2 from a 2-0 deficit against Serie A champions Juventus during their Champions League Round of 16 ties first leg in Turin, Tottenham will now be looking to ensure that their young midfield talent Erik Lamela signs a new contract extension deal which would keep him at the club for longer.
The 25-year-old Lamela joined Tottenham in 2013 after spending two seasons with Italian club AS Roma. Spurs spent £30 million to bring Lamela to the North London club and he broke the record for the most expensive transfer for Tottenham at the time. However, the Argentine international has just made 92 Premier League appearances in close to five seasons with the English side.
To put it in simpler terms, Lamela has struggled since his move to Tottenham mainly due to his fitness issues. He was once known as the heir to his national star Lionel Messi with similar dribbling abilities and skills but it didn’t quite work out for him and the 25-year-old has lacked confidence in his belief.
Lamela has not been Tottenham’s standout performer, as many dubbed him to be when he arrived at White Hart Lane and has not lived up to expectations of the Spurs faithful. But in recent times, the former River Plate youngster has been growing confidence and providing helpful contributions to the side.
The highlight of Lamela’s Tottenham career so far has been the Rabona style goal he scored from outside the box, which was also his first for the club in the Europa League during the 2014-15 season in a 5-1 win against Greek club Asteras Tripoli.
Last season, Lamela faced a serious issue with his fitness and hardly featured after a hip injury kept him out for the majority of the campaign. He had to undergo two operations that kept him out of footballing action for over a year. However, Spurs have shown faith in the attacking winger and he is reportedly fit and ready to repay the belief they showed in his performances on the pitch.
Lamela was recently linked with a move back to Italian side Inter Milan due to impressive showings off late. A goal against Newport County ensured Spurs progress in the FA Cup fourth-round replay tie, the impressive performance led to another surprise start in the Champions League against Juventus in the first leg of the Round of 16 in Turin. Lamela looked lively throughout and was a constant threat as the game ended 2-2, with Tottenham earing 2 vital away goals.
Now, Tottenham will have to ensure that they can lockdown Lamela and keep him at the club for long as he is showing signs of maturity and could become the player he was once destined to be. Is this player going to be a future star – only time can tell it.
