Tottenham must keep Moussa Sissoko and Erik Lamela
It’s very possible that Moussa Sissoko and Erik Lamela may be Tottenham’s two biggest transfer flops of the modern era. Both midfielders were purchased for £30 million and have failed to live up their price tags. Ironically, Spurs cannot afford to let either flop go in the summer transfer market.
In a perfect Tottenham world, Daniel Levy would have already secured probable upgrades over both enigmatic stars. Unfortunately, fans of the lillywhites don’t live in a perfect world. They live in reality where Levy has, once again, failed to arm his manager with the squad depth he truly needs to compete on all fronts.
Curiously, the public opinion of the club’s fan base is pretty split on both players. Most Spurs supporters are generally more accepting of Lamela due to his obvious work rate on the pitch. Of course, others complain that his work rate isn’t worth all that much given his significant injury history with the club.
Sissoko, in sharp contrast, comes under more criticism. For the most part, he’s been perfectly healthy since arriving from Newcastle last summer. Unfortunately, the Frenchman has failed to show any of the characteristics that made him a star for France during their run in the Euros. He’s largely been relegated to a small role off Pochettino’s bench.
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Any other club in the Premier League’s top six would be looking to offload dead wood like Lamela and Sissoko this summer. They’d be willing to cut their losses in order to open up space in the squad. Those clubs would use the proceeds of the players’ sales to augment their substantial transfer budgets.
Tottenham, perhaps unfortunately, are not like those other clubs. With just two days left in the summer transfer window, Spurs have yet to add an attacking player to their squad. They’ve been rumoured with everyone from Thomas Lemar to Ross Barkley, but the club haven’t managed to sign a single midfielder or attacker. The only signings to date have been a third choice keeper and a raw, but promising central defender.
As a result, manager Mauricio Pochettino has no choice but to rely on the biggest transfer flops in the club’s history. It’s a cruel twist of fate for the Argentine gaffer.
The real question now becomes which, if either of the players can really help Tottenham this season. As I mentioned earlier, Sissoko is already a part of Pochettino’s normal matchday squad. Lamela has recently begun training outdoors, but his return the to squad is likely at least another month away.
That clearly gives the Frenchman the best opportunity to give Spurs a boost. In fairness, his last performance off the bench against Burnley was encouraging. He created a genuine scoring opportunity that could have clinched the match for his club. Unfortunately, Christian Eriksen wasn’t able to corral his pass and slide a shot past the keeper.
Of course, that’s an extremely small sample size. In the end, Sissoko will need to provide Pochettino with that sort of play on a consistent basis to come anywhere close to justifying his fee. The good news for Sissoko is that he’ll get plenty of opportunities. At the moment, Pochettino has to deploy either he or Son Heung-Min to round out his attack.
Lamela simply needs to concern himself with getting healthy. He’s been sidelined for nearly a full calendar year with a mysterious hip ailment. I’ve known people to undergo hip replacements and return to fitness in less time. Spurs have to hope that full recovery is a possible for the clever Argentine.
If it is, he has a better chance of making a true difference at the club than Sissoko. Lamela’s effort on the pitch is never in question. While fans can certainly question Sissoko’s focus, they can’t reasonably worry about Lamela’s work rate.
If Lamela can return to full fitness, he could drastically change Tottenham’s toughness on the pitch. Currently, Spurs lack a certain edge in the midfield. Adding a physical antagonist like Lamela to the mix could jumpstart Tottenham no matter where they play their matches.
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Hopefully, Pochettino won’t be left to hope for contributions from Sissoko and Lamela when the summer transfer window slams shut. Attacking reinforcements would be a welcome sight for the Spurs manager. Even if he gets one or two additions, he still needs to hold on to the club’s biggest transfer flops to stick around to provide him the squad depth he really needs.