Erik Lamela joined Tottenham Hotspur three years ago during the same summer which saw Gareth Bale leave White Hart Lane for Real Madrid.
As a left-footed attacking midfielder who had scored 15 goals and provided five assists in his final Serie A season with Roma, Lamela was seen by many as a direct replacement for Bale.
For a long time it seemed as though Lamela would never live up to his potential, but, after a fine 2015-16 campaign, the Argentina star has just scored a preseason goal that Bale would have been proud of.
…serta gol cantik @ErikLamela yang kembali memberikan keunggulan 2-1 untuk #THFC jelang turun minum. ?? #COYS https://t.co/y6TilJRxGx
— Tottenham Hotspur (@Spurs_ID) August 5, 2016
Lamela notched his second goal in two preseason games to fire Spurs 2-1 up against Inter Milan just before half time in Norway.
The quality of his first touch and curling finish was reminiscent of Bale’s famous late winner over West Ham United in February 2013.
Lamela is now one of the first name’s on Tottenham’s teamsheet.
As well as attacking creativity, he adds energy and bite – evidenced by nine yellow cards in the Premier League last season – to the Spurs midfield.