Has Aaron Lennon been better than Spurs’ other right sided options this season?

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The winger has been sent out on loan to Everton, but has he statistically proven that he is a better option than Tottenham teammates Townsend and Lamela?

It is fair to say that the right side of midfield has been a problem position for Spurs this season, with several first team players struggling to nail down the spot as their own.

However, since January, one right winger associated with Tottenham has been in impressive form, earning more plaudits than the likes of Erik Lamela and Andros Townsend.

And he has been doing it without even being at the club. Aaron Lennon has helped Everton rediscover their quality, contributing a great deal to the Toffees attacking threat and seeing Roberto Martinez’s side rise up the table.

It has led to some Spurs fans questioning whether Mauricio Pochettino was right in letting the England man leave on loan. Lennon has been at White Hart Lane for a decade, but was used intermittently by the Argentine in the first half of the season, particularly in the Premier League.

But have Lennon’s performances, at least statistically, really been better than those of Lamela and Townsend, two young players who despite impressing at times this year, will be a little disappointed with their campaigns?

Attacking statistics 2014/15

In terms of goalscoring, Andros Townsend has scored the same as Lennon and Erik Lamela in the league this season despite playing fewer minutes. However, considering that one of these goals was a penalty, it could be said that Lennon sneaks this area.

Townsend is significantly better at registering shots on target than the other two though, but that is the only area the 23-year-old England international is top. Tottenham’s record signing Lamela records better ratios of assists, successful take-ons and touches out of the trio, and also has the best passing and crossing accuracy. He also has three times as many assists as Lennon or Townsend. On the majority of these, Townsend is second, with Lennon in last place, though the former QPR loanee is last when it comes to completing a successful cross. This last category is something all three players struggle in, with little separating them at a disappointing rate of one roughly every 180 minutes, or two games.

Defensive statistics 2014/15

Erik Lamela is often held up for his defensive contribution for Spurs under Mauricio Pochettino, and so it proves as the Argentina international comes out on top again in several categories, including winning ground duels, winning tackles, intercepting the ball, and winning possession in midfield. He also gets fouled more often than Townsend or Lamela, though the former Roma man is much more likely to commit a foul himself.

Townsend commutes the least fouls, wins the ball back in the defensive third slightly more often than Lamela, and is again second in a lot of the categories, which may prove that his and Lamela’s game time at a higher placed club may have an influence. Lennon only comes out on top when it comes to conceding possession less than those still at White Hart Lane.

Looking at the three players, it appears that Pochettino was right to make Lamela the more regular starter of the three, although his decision on who should have stayed at the club as a back up is a little more debatable.

But let us know who you think Tottenham should play, and take to the comments section below to elaborate!