10 Key Players To Watch In The Premier League This Season
2. Erik Lamela
A club record £30 million acquisition last summer, the then-21 year old was heralded as the natural heir to Gareth Bale, filling the void left by the Welshmans departure for the bright lights of the Santiago Bernabeu. With bags of potential and promise, the young man who had scored 19 goals from midfield for Roma since his transfer from River Plate in 2011 was predicted to be a revelation in the Premier League.
What transcended was 9 months of catastrophic proportions. Struggling for the first couple of months to adapt to his surroundings, the Argentinian talent failed to command a starting berth under Andres Villas-Boas, forced to make sporadic appearances from the bench. Villas-Boas was dismissed in December, but Lamelas fates didnt improve, as a back injury curtailed his season in January. For a £30 million pound signing, nine league appearances and a solitary Europa League goal has all the hallmarks of a monumental flop.
However, Lamelas troubled first season is out of the way, and banished are his injury demons. Fellow Argentine Mauricio Pochettino has recently been instated as manager, making it a little easier to strike up a rapport God knows Lamela was never going to understand a word out of Tim Sherwoods mouth. Following a season plagued by injuries and poor form, which ultimately cost him a place in a squad which reached the World Cup final, Lamela will be chomping at the bit to perform next season.
''A footballer always feels lonely when he cannot play for whatever reason and I felt very lonely at times last season. But I am getting in good shape and am determined to show Tottenham the real Erik Lamela this season. I have recovered from my injuries, we have a new manager and I cannot wait to play. I am confident you will see a much better me this season. Erik Lamela, 2014.
If referring to himself in the third person wasnt proof enough that he means business, he has also shown a glimpse of the form which persuaded Spurs to part with a club record fee, netting two fine goals against Toronto FC in pre-season. Pochettino has been uncharacteristically quiet in the transfer market thus far, so dont be surprised if he starts heralding the former River Plate wonderkid as something of a new season when he starts banging them mid-August.