Lamela: going, going… gone! While Gil is in!

 

Lamela: going, going… gone! While Gil is in!

Erik Lamela is now in Spain ahead of his move to Sevilla. He was spotted at the Sevilla training ground for his medical as he nears the end of his Spurs career. While 20-year-old Bryan Gil is moving in the opposite direction as a part of the deal. We are also paying £21m on top.

The clubs will officially announce the move today (Monday), with Lamela joining Sevilla’s pre-season training camp.  Gil will come to us after he finishes his Olympic duties in Tokyo.

Thoughts

Erik Lamela is about to end his almost 9-year spell at the club; we wish him well.

As for Bryan Gil, he is one of the wanted youngsters in Spanish football following a season on loan at Eibar, where he scored 4 goals and 3 assists in 28 La Liga appearances. It is a good swap for Eric Lamela as he is now 29 years old, while Gil is only 20.

Some people have compared him to the Dutch legend Johan Cruyff for his technical abilities.

We must remember that when Erik Lamela joined us, he was also a bright, young talent. His outstanding 2012/13 season, where he scored 15 goals and 5 assists in Serie A, was exceptional. He also attracted the interest of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, but it was us that eventually snatched him up. Even though it took a while for Eric to settle in N17, he ultimately became an essential squad member.

His best season for us came in 2015/16, where he scored 5 goals and laid on 9 assists in the Premier League. Sadly, after that season, his production waned, and he slowly became more of a rotational player. Nevertheless, you could always count on him to come on as a sub and bring some vigour into the game, with his dribbling and determined work rate.

He was a bit of a marmite character to some Spurs fans; either he was loved or dismissed as a weakness (in the squad).

But we must move on now and think of the future, and I am sure the swap deal will be a good and productive one for all concerned.

Keep safe, Glenn