‘Lost’ Lamela finds his spurs at last

LONDON — If Tottenham Hotspur are to yield a dividend from the fabled “Gareth Bale money”, it will be from a 22-year-old Argentine forward who showed up a year ago injured, shy and “lost”, according to those who saw his first attempts to settle. Now, the £30 million (S$62 million) ghost that was Erik Lamela last season has returned in style to the realm of the living.

Depending on which version is accurate, he turned up with a calf injury and played on anyway, or tried to alert the staff to his problem, but was told to just get on with it.

Either way, he developed back trouble to go with his damaged calf. He would float harmlessly on Tottenham’s right flank, not demanding the ball; not strong enough, not happy, not appearing to be worth the lavish fee.

In Sunday’s 4-0 demolition of Queens Park Rangers — Tottenham’s second successive win in London derbies against moderate opposition — Lamela truly arrived at White Hart Lane.

He was keener, faster, stronger. Hunting often in the withdrawn striker position behind Emmanuel Adebayor, he radiated intent. Even his hair was spikier.

In this first month of the campaign, he has laid a claim to be Tottenham’s attacking pivot in a side which shredded QPR’s switch to three-at-the-back.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino, though, is not rushing to anoint Lamela as the next north London No 10. “Lamela, Adebayor, (Christian) Eriksen, (Nacer) Chadli all created movement,” he said.

“Lamela changed his position and they are all free. But we need to have the structure. When we lose the ball, we work a lot as to what we have to do,” Pochettino said.

“We do that in training. But it’s important Eriksen and Lamela feel free because they are creative players ... they need the movement to be able to attack.”

In opposition sat the greatest player in Tottenham’s history (Glenn Hoddle) and the first manager to have taken them to the Champions League (Harry Redknapp).

But Pochettino was the one with the best seat in the house.

A promising start in English football at Southampton earned him a chance to dance for Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who dispatched both Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood in the 2013-14 campaign.

Pochettino’s task was obvious. Integrate the seven players bought with the proceeds of the Bale sale, find a settled style of play, restore the team’s ambition, cull the bad buys and add talent in areas where Spurs were weak last term.

Quite a list. But he can expect no sympathy.

As Redknapp pointed out, there are biggish names at Spurs who struggle even to make matchday 18. Here, Paulinho, Andros Townsend and Sandro were among those on the outer margins.

There are two big tests for Pochettino. Will he instil a proper structure in this team and squad and will he improve individual players? West Ham and QPR are no real measure, but the earliest signs are good.

Jan Vertonghen looks happy at last at centre-back, Eric Dier is a find on the right side of the defence, Chadli and Lamela were excellent against Redknapp’s men and Nabil Bentaleb continues to mature.

On this evidence, Lamela is the one most likely to feed Tottenham’s craving for artistry, subtlety, panache: All the qualities exemplified by Hoddle but displayed by few in Spurs’ recent history.

Of Lamela, Pochettino said: “It’s true that he can improve a lot, but he’s still young. Always, for the players and young players arriving in different countries, different cultures, different football, it’s difficult to adapt. But he has all the skills and we’re very happy with him.”

To return to the glory days, Spurs need players of swagger and ingenuity. Last season, you watched Lamela and were simply baffled. Where was the talent? Just waiting to jump out, was the answer.

He was not a ghost or a dud, this game seemed to say. He just needed time and a manager he could believe in. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH