Things must surely be looking a little bleak for Erik Lamela at Tottenham Hotspur now.
Plenty was expected of the Argentina international when he was signed from AS Roma for a reported fee of £25.7million back in 2013, however, his career at Spurs has never really got going as his performances have continued to blow hot and cold when afforded the chance.
And, with the imminent arrival of Leeds United’s Jack Clarke expected to be completed (Evening Standard), it would seem the 27-year-old’s chances of reviving it are getting even slimmer.
Back in May, it was suggested that he may have already played his last game for us (Football Insider) as Mauricio Pochettino was thought to have doubts about the winger’s ability to play in two matches each week.
Unfortunately, Lamela has not been a stranger to the treatment tables and featured in just 19 Premier League matches last season (Transfermarkt), with the majority of them as a substitute appearance – making those doubts reasonable and hard to disagree with.
Things would have already been difficult for the Argentine prior to Clarke’s arrival as well, with Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura already ahead of him in the pecking order and with the teenager the type of player Pochettino likes to have in the team, perhaps, the South American is set to fall even further down the order.
And, it might not only be his future at Tottenham that is bleak as it might be difficult for the £16.2m-rated winger (Transfermarkt) to find a new club as well because of all those injuries he has suffered during his time in England.
Lamela will surely be seen as a risk by many and one that clubs may be unwilling to spend big on trying to sign, should we make him available for a transfer this summer.