Lamela had it easy in Italy
2 min read
Erik Lamela arrived at Tottenham as the next Gareth Bale, a £30 million man expected to improve and make up for the loss of the departing Welshman.
Things didn't go according to plan. Stories eventually circulated that he arrived with an injury and it ended up keeping him out for large parts of the season. He played 1 complete Premier League game and was sent to his old club early in the summer to begin preparations for this season.
He has already played more Premier League minutes than he did in the whole of last season which gives you a real indication of how inexperienced he is in the Premier League. Former Tottenham and England player Chris Waddle told Standard Sport he thinks Lamela had it easy in the slow Italian league.
If you at the UEFA Champions League over the last few season Italian club do poorly which indicates the strength of the Serie A at the moment.
Chris Waddle was at one time the third most expensive footballer when he left Tottenham for Marseilles in 1989. We bought him for £590,000 from Newcastle United in 1985 and sold him for £4.5 million.
Lamela certainly seems to have settled better this season and against weaker teams in the UEFA Europa League he is making a significant difference when called upon for a cameo role. He has 3 assists in the Premier League, 2 in the UEFA Europa League and 1 in the League cup, 6 in all in 10 appearances (656 minutes).
Things didn't go according to plan. Stories eventually circulated that he arrived with an injury and it ended up keeping him out for large parts of the season. He played 1 complete Premier League game and was sent to his old club early in the summer to begin preparations for this season.
He has already played more Premier League minutes than he did in the whole of last season which gives you a real indication of how inexperienced he is in the Premier League. Former Tottenham and England player Chris Waddle told Standard Sport he thinks Lamela had it easy in the slow Italian league.
If you at the UEFA Champions League over the last few season Italian club do poorly which indicates the strength of the Serie A at the moment.
“I think the Italian league is very slow it's very open, until you get into the 18-yard box you don't really come into contact with players.
“You could get to 38-40 and play in Italy, I could play in Italy for a season.
“I think Lamela enjoyed that, it was more possession and you bide your time until you get to the penalty area, but he comes to the Premier League where all of a sudden it's 100 miles per hour.
“He's adjusting, he's getting better and people forget he's still young, next year - hopefully he'll improve this year - and next year, if he's ever going to do it, it'll be next season.”
Chris Waddle was at one time the third most expensive footballer when he left Tottenham for Marseilles in 1989. We bought him for £590,000 from Newcastle United in 1985 and sold him for £4.5 million.
“I never look at the price tag, I didn't say I was worth that money, the club want to pay it, that's up to them.
“But you've got to relax and you’ve got to try and do what you're good at now if it doesn’t work out for Lamela, he can turn round and say listen I'm just not made for the English league.”
Lamela certainly seems to have settled better this season and against weaker teams in the UEFA Europa League he is making a significant difference when called upon for a cameo role. He has 3 assists in the Premier League, 2 in the UEFA Europa League and 1 in the League cup, 6 in all in 10 appearances (656 minutes).
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