During an interview with Football Insider, Paul Robinson has urged Tottenham to keep hold of Erik Lamela. The ex-Leeds goalkeeper believes that the Argentine has the experience that could benefit Jose Mourinho, stating, “I like Lamela. He has been a top player for Spurs, and he has been there a long time. He has come on a couple of times this season and really made an impact going forward.”
“Him and Lo Celso, when they have played together, have been a good pairing. I still think he has time left in north London.”, – Robinson added.
Erik Lamela’s spell at Tottenham so far
Lamela has been a part of the Tottenham side since 2013 when he joined the club in a €30 million move from AS Roma. However, the attacker has been unfortunate with injuries that have marred his career in England. Although the Argentine has made 214 competitive appearances for the club, a back(2013) and a hip(2016) injury has kept him out for a total of almost 550 days.
Moreover, Lamela has never established himself as a first-team regular for Spurs, primarily due to the presence of talented teammates like Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen. Although the latter left the club in January, the ex-Roma star still trails Steven Bergwijn and Giovani Lo Celso in the picking order.
This season, for instance, Lamela missed more than two months with a hamstring injury. As a result, he has featured in only 17 league matches, only ten of which were starts.
Paul Robinson has urged Tottenham to keep hold of Erik Lamela: Does he really have a future?
Despite his injury and lack of game-time, Mourinho must indeed retain Lamela’s services in the upcoming transfer window. What makes the Argentine international such a vital cog in the Spurs attack is his energy. The 28-year-old has made seven substitute appearances this season, and in almost all of those matches, he has been able to inject more dynamism into the game.
His tenacity to close down opposing players, combined with his willingness to find the back of the net makes him a tailor-made fit for Mourinho’s pragmatic style of play.
Tactically, Lamela’s presence in the side should provide the Portuguese mastermind with more depth in the offensive unit and the fact that he can play anywhere in the final third is sure to benefit him when it comes to squad rotation.
In addition, as Robinson rightly pointed out, Lamela has the experience at the highest level of football, having made over 300 competitive appearances throughout his professional career. It is something Spurs require at the moment as they look to usher in a new era under Mourinho next season.
