Erik Lamela was hooked off after 78 minutes in Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Newcastle, moments before Spurs went ahead at Wembley. Lamela has struggled for consistency this season, but he put in a better performance for the Londoners of late and hit the woodwork against Newcastle.
The 26-year-old had three shots, created three chances, made two dribbles and completed 92% of his 48 passes. He also completed 100% of his three crosses. Unfortunately, Lamela hasn’t always been influential in games this season which could give Mauricio Pochettino a problem.
He’s without a Premier League goal since early-November, has only one assist since mid-August and has registered one shot or less in seven of his last nine outings. Lamela has failed to complete an accurate cross in 12 of 15 games and has only managed an accurate through ball on three occasions all season.
Lamela frequently registered successful dribbles but doesn’t have much of an output in the final third. He’s also only racked up 779 minutes of Premier League football from a possible 2250 (35%), so the Argentine isn’t having much of a bearing on Tottenham’s season.
He signed a four-year-deal ahead of the new campaign, but is Lamela giving value for money?
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
Opinion: Out-of-favour Tottenham man could defy Pochettino for more playing time