Tottenham's record signing has tested fans' patience, but Erik Lamela is finally finding his form. Adam Bate examines his improvement...
Roma's owner was still crowing about it in the summer. At a press conference in June, James Pallotta claimed to have met an unspecified member of Tottenham's hierarchy at a party in Sardinia who "still couldn't come to terms with the deal" that was done in paying over £25m for Erik Lamela.
Many Spurs supporters would have felt the same way and it was interesting to hear Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher argue last week that with every player he worked with at Liverpool, it was apparent within a matter of months whether or not they would be able to make the transition.
There was even speculation about a summer exit for Lamela well into August with his obvious potential seemingly unlikely to be fulfilled in a Spurs shirt. That would have been regrettable as there has been sympathy for the challenges the young Argentine has faced on and off the pitch.
"English football is much more physical while the game is more tactical in Italy," said Lamela back in his first season in the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino has since agreed that the move from Italy to England can be tougher than other leagues such as France because of these differences.
The adjustment is cultural as well as tactical. Ex-Spurs boss Andre Villas Boas cited language difficulties as an issue for Lamela in those early months, while Kyle Walker admitted he'd struggled to settle after arriving from Sheffield let alone Buenos Aires via Rome.
But the patience couldn't last forever. A response was needed. "I think this is a key season for him," said Pochettino. "After two seasons at Tottenham, now is the moment for him. Not to put pressure, but it's true. It's a key moment for him to develop and to move on his game. It's important."
Lamela has delivered that improvement. There was the pass to Ryan Mason that carved open the Sunderland defence for Spurs' late winner at the Stadium of Light. There was the possession he won on the edge of his own area to spark the counter-attack for Son Heung-Min's winner against Crystal Palace.
He has scored twice too recently - against Manchester City and Bournemouth - to match his tally from his previous 47 Premier League games, and on Monday night against Aston Villa, it was his measured pass that provided the assist for Harry Kane's nerve-settling final goal.
The way Lamela finished that game, scrapping for the ball in the final third to relieve the pressure on his side, was particularly encouraging. He's now prepared to be the team's decisive player. The chance laid on for Kane was the 24th he has fashioned this season, only one behind Christian Eriksen.
That puts him among the top 10 most creative players in the Premier League and the trajectory is going in the right direction. In his first season at Spurs, Lamela created 1.6 openings per 90 minutes. Last season it was 2.3. Now he's up at 3.4 chances per game, a rate bettered by only a handful of players in the country.
He's done so by embracing Pochettino's approach. Lamela is no luxury. Against Villa, he covered more ground (12.55 kilometres) than any other player on the pitch and there is an intensity to his work too.
In the win over Palace, his total of 70 sprints was the most of any player. Against City, he upped that to 71. "He worked hard for the team up and down the pitch," said Kane of Lamela's efforts that day. "We had the higher press, we were relentless in our running and that's what we've been doing to teams this season."
Lamela's role in that pressing and the defensive contribution he makes shouldn't be overlooked. He makes more tackles and interceptions than any of his fellow attacking midfielders at the club. Pochettino is delighted. "It is good for him and good for us that he is starting to show his real talent and his real quality," he said last month.
"Right now in his mind he is ready to deliver and I think that we can only help him to give an opportunity to show. Lamela is still young, and sometimes you need to create a good dynamic in the team and around the training ground to help some players."
Pochettino has certainly done that and the reference to Lamela's age is a pointed one. The Spurs boss has been praised for the way in which he has brought through young talent at the club but given the Argentine's status as the club's record signing, he is rarely included in that group of players.
However, Lamela is younger than both Andros Townsend and Ryan Mason. In fact, he's only two months older than Tom Carroll. And so, despite the early promise at Roma, it's not unfathomable that Lamela is still learning and his best form is still to come.
With that in mind, Tottenham's owner might just be looking forward to his next run-in with Roma's James Pallotta rather more than his last.
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