Tottenham's Erik Lamela ready for Premier League lift off

Everyone agreed that Tottenham had acquired some fine players in the summer of 2013, but the notorious line that Spurs sold Elvis to buy the Beatles soon became a source of embarrassment. Not least because that cast young Erik Lamela as John Lennon, the most celebrated of the lot.

Instead, calf and back problems coupled with difficulties adapting to life in England meant his impact was minimal. To paraphrase Lennon’s withering assessment of Ringo Starr’s drumming, how could Lamela be one of the best in Europe when he wasn’t even the best at White Hart Lane?

The Argentine made just nine appearances in the Premier League last season totalling 327 minutes of action. Damningly, he made more starts in the club’s Europa League campaign. Thursdays were Lamela’s busiest night of the week and the source of his solitary goal to date in a Tottenham shirt.

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Eight shots and 145 completed passes. It wasn’t much to show for a £30million investment. Lamela was dispossessed more times than he successfully completed a dribble and managed to play a full 90 minutes just once in the Premier League last season. Naturally, it was in the 6-0 defeat to Manchester City.

And yet, the feeling persisted that Lamela was different. While former boss Tim Sherwood seemed more comfortable than most in openly criticising his own players, there was usually a different tone to his comments when it came to Lamela.

It would’ve been easy for Sherwood to make Lamela the poster boy for the problems he’d inherited. Instead he spoke of being impressed with his performances in training. “I think it is unfair because obviously he has not been fit so it has been hard to judge,” said Sherwood. “The price isn't his fault. He comes with a huge price tag but it is not Erik that sets that price.

“It is difficult to adapt to a different country, a different league and a different language as well but when you are suffering these niggles too it is disappointing for the lad. We signed him for the long-term and we are sure that in the end he will come good for Tottenham and be a crowd favourite here.”

It’s worth remembering that is precisely what happened to Lamela at Roma. After arriving amid the hype that came with a significant transfer fee, he succumbed to an ankle injury that prevented him playing until October. He finished his first season with four goals from 29 games and lingering memories of on-field spats with Stephan Lichtsteiner and off-field problems with Pablo Osvaldo.

It was his second season in Italy that saw Lamela emerge from his chrysalis. He was the fifth highest scorer in Serie A in his final year at Roma and by far the most exciting, creating more chances and having more successful dribbles than anyone else among the top 10. Roma coach Aurelio Andreazzoli called him “unstoppable” and he suddenly looked a player capable of anything.

Fitness way the key. Lamela not only survived the infamous tests of veteran coach Zdenek Zeman but he thrived – outperforming the rest of the Roma squad when it came to the 1000 metre interval training that comprised a series of such runs one after the other. “He could run for three hours,” said Zeman, who also praised his “talent, pace and technique”.

Return to fitness

To his credit, Sherwood recognised it would be folly to turn to Lamela when, in his words, “under-cooked” and succeeded in protecting the player. New boss Mauricio Pochettino seems equally aware that only when Lamela is confident in his fitness levels will Spurs fans see the be