Out of nowhere, the Tottenham Hotspur winger has shown glimpses of promise once again. But will he go on to disappoint once again?
So it’s back to the same old question after Tottenham’s narrow win over Sunderland on Sunday afternoon. Fans will no doubt be fed up with it.
Yes, will Erik Lamela actually come good at White Hart Lane? That is the question.
Up until Sunday’s trip to the Stadium of Light, the answer was a resounding no. Even the Argentine’s most ardent supporters seem to have stopped defending him in recent weeks.
But the 23-year-old will have frustrated his critics again at Sunderland by producing another rare glimpse of magic. Can he finally come good for Spurs – a question posed far too many times by now – or was this just another flash-in-the-pan performance designed to ensure Lamela will keep being given chances at Tottenham but ultimately fail to consistently bring any kind of standard to the table?
| Chances Created | Minutes Played | |
|---|---|---|
| Erik Lamela | 4 | 23 |
| Nacer Chadli | 2 | 90 |
| Ryan Mason | 2 | 85 |
| Andros Townsend | 2 | 28 |
| Ben Davies | 1 | 90 |
| Kyle Walker | 1 | 90 |
As Opta stats show, Lamela came on against Sunderland and, along with Andros Townsend, changed the game.
Not only did the Argentine assist Ryan Mason’s winner, he created four chances in just 23 minutes. That’s double the contribution of any other Spurs player including Townsend. And most of them played the full 90 minutes.
So what next? Finally some sort of form from Lamela? Or was this his Rabona moment of 2015/16 and will he now be done for the season?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
