As we approach the end of the 2013-14 season a certain Argentine will be sitting on a bench somewhere in London wondering where it all went wrong. Erik Lamela – a household name to most Calcio followers after two impressive seasons in Rome is now nothing more than an expensive flop to fans of the Premier League.

 

How could a £30 million player – Heralded as the ‘Argentine Ronaldo’ - fall from grace so badly in the space of 12 months? Touted as a future star from a young age Barcelona failed in their attempt to prize the native Buenos-Aires from his beloved River plate at age 7. As a graduate of the youth system that reared such stars as Gonzalo Higuain and Javier Mascherano - it didn’t take long for the teenage Argentinian to be snapped up by a top club in the shape of Serie A side Roma. In 2011-12 - his debut year in Calcio - Lamela proved himself to be a promising talent and featured an impressive 29 times in the league with 4 goals to his name.

 

In his second season with the Giallorossi, Lamela enjoyed the best campaign of his burgeoning career with an sensational return of 15 goals in 33 matches from midfield while putting in some scintillating performances which gained the attention of some of Europe’s top clubs and wowed fans across the peninsula. A goal against Lazio in the Derby della Capitale ensured his status as a fan favourite and wonder strikes against Parma and Cagliari evoked memories of a certain left-footed Napoli No10 and compatriot named Diego.

 

Last summer, following these impressive performances, Tottenham broke their club transfer record to bring young Erik to London and his arrival was greeted with anticipation and excitement by the fans. However in the opening months of the season Spurs manager Andre Villas Boas persisted in bizarrely benching his record purchase. Was this to allow Lamela to ease in to English football? Or was that an excuse to cover up his disappointment in Director of Football Franco Baldini’s choice of signing?

 

It is no secret that Baldini, formerly of Roma, is a keen admirer of the young Argentinian and forced through his move which underlined the battle for power behind the scenes at White Hart Lane. This turbulent relationship between Manager and Director could be an influence over Lamela’s lack of appearances this season as AVB was presented with a group of new players that he didn’t necessarily want. Lamela has been a casualty of this turmoil.

 

However - after Villas Boas sacking, interim coach Tim Sherwood has continued to overlook the young Argentine forcing us to ask the question – is the English premier League a harder, faster and better league than Serie A? Do Calcio’s best exports lack the quality to succeed in England? The successes of Coutinho, Balotelli and Nastasic suggest otherwise but a culture clash issue may be at the heart of Lamela’s struggles.

 
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Opinion in Italy is that the young Argentine lacks the physical stature to blossom in England – this view Is not without support but Lamela possesses the pace and skill to be a true star. Struggling with the stout defences of the English Premier League is not a new concept for foreign imports; in fact we can compare Lamela’s current physical struggle to Cristiano Ronaldo’s formative season in English football. Both players were expected to fill the void of a star player departing and both wingers arrived in England with a slight frame.

 

After struggling initially, Cristiano was able to adapt to the fast-paced physical nature of the game by vastly increasing his muscle mass which allowed him to easily shirk off defenders robust challenges - Lamela must try and mirror the example of the famous No7 and put the hours in in the gym to allow him to confidently take on the giants of the Premier League. Of course a key factor in this year’s disappointment has been Lamela’s fitness and an injury plagued mid-season.

 

This, coupled with a lack of first-team appearances, has all but extinguished his hopes of cementing a place in Alejandro Sabella’s World Cup squad. A recent injury to the young Argentine’s back has ensured a lengthy absence and this time spent on the treatment table has firmly ensured Lamela’s status as the ‘forgotten man’. We must put this down to bad luck. The vacuum left by Gareth Bale’s departure has also put immense pressure on Lamela to succeed and in the English Premier League the unforgiving fans demand results and performances immediately.

 

This is a huge weight to put on a young player’s shoulders; without playing time there is no way for Tottenham’s new No11 to show his quality and the price-tag of £30 million is another huge burden for a perennial bench-warmer to carry. We must ask ourselves: Why Tottenham? With half of Europe and Serie A giants linked with moves for Lamela this summer a transfer to White-Hart lane seemed a strange one. The influence of Baldini was definitely an element but the lure of a potential move to Real Madrid could have been at the back of young Erik’s mind - as Spurs have an appealing link with Real allowing first options on their players – this has been exploited by the Madrid club in their pursuit of Modric and Bale.

 

The appeal of the Premier League must have of course been the biggest influence over the move but Roma’s rumoured refusal to sell their star to rivals Napoli could have provoked a foreign club to pounce. One must wonder what Lamela feels as he watches his ex-team-mates vie with Juve for the title. Regret? Envy? With 8 appearances in the league this year and only 3 of them starts young Erik’s English adventure looks to be coming to a nightmarish end. Compared with last season’s goal-scoring exploits this year’s stats seem to belong to a different player- It has truly been a Jekyll and Hyde couple of seasons for the young Argentinian; outstanding last year and anonymous this season.

Lamela seems to be a shadow of his former self in the white of Tottenham. In the Giallorossi No8 shirt he exhibited his ability with finesse and brilliant technique while cutting open defences with his vision and excellent passing. Where has this player gone? Overall we must regrettably brand this season a failure for the former Roma favourite. So where next? With summer approaching - and rumoured interest from Juventus and Inter – the young Argentinian must be plotting an exit from his dire situation and an increasingly disappointing Tottenham side for whom a top 4 finish this season seems a fantasy with the emergence of Liverpool.


Lamela must reclaim his Roma form and break free of his ‘flop’ tagline – surely a move back to the peninsula would heal his injured ego? So will Calcio welcome back one of its fallen sons with open arms? Well It’s something for Erik to consider while he warms the bench at White Hart Lane.

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