Tottenham Hotspur's record signing Erik Lamela needs to prove his worth this season, according to compatriot and manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Spurs secured the Argentine midfielder’s services from Italian side AS Roma for a reported £26 million (Dh147.6m) in 2013, but the 23-year-old has struggled to perform consistently over the past two seasons.
He has started just one game for Spurs in the Premier League this campaign – the 1-1 draw with Leicester City – and was linked with a loan move to Ligue 1 side Marseille during the summer.
Now in his third season at Spurs, Lamela has scored two goals in 46 league appearances, a poor return for a player who found the back of the net 19 times for Roma in the Italian top flight over two seasons.
Lamela came off the bench to assist Ryan Mason’s winner in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Sunderland, giving Spurs their first Premier League win of the season and Pochettino has spoken of this being a key season for the player.
“We believe we can develop his game and I think we need to be patient with him,” Pochettino told the British media.
“I think this is a key season for him. 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.
“We want to give the opportunity to show his value. We have a lot of games to play, for competition, we need a good player in all positions,” the former Southampton manager said.
Tottenham, who are 12th in league table, play Azerbaijan side Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday and then welcome sixth placed Crystal Palace on Sunday.
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Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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The biog:
Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
Pet Peeve: Racism
Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne
What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms
Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s
Favourite movie: "I have two. The Pursuit of Happiness and Homeless to Harvard"
Role model: Everyone. A child can be my role model
Slogan: The queen of peace, love and positive energy
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.