Erik Lamela says he has so far struggled to adapt to life at Tottenham but is confident of justifying his record-breaking fee. The Argentine international has made a slow start to life at White Hart Lane following his move from AS Roma in a club record £30m fee. Lamela is yet to start a Premier League game and failed to take advantage of his start in the League Cup last night against Hull City. Although showing good ability throughout, Lamela was the only Spurs player to miss his penalty as Tottenham went through 8-7 in a shoot-out. Andre Villas-Boas put the 21-year-olds slow start down to the language barrier as Lamela struggles to cope with the rigours of the English language. But Lamela believes it is the differing style of Premier League football that has prevented him from settling in. He told the Evening Standard: “I think I need a bit of time. “I feel good here, although getting used to life here in every sense is a completely different thing. I’ve barely been here two months, so time is maybe what I need. “I need training, a bit of rhythm, some games. English football is very different from the game in Italy — much more physical, whereas Serie A is more tactical. It’s not necessarily more difficult, but it’s just different. This is a style of football I like very much, though, and I think, with the way I play, it will be very suited to my game.” The slow start Lamela has made to life in the Premier League has been somewhat of a concern for the Tottenham faithful who are searching for a replacement for Gareth Bale. Although the pressure is mounting on Lamela to deliver, he remains calm and knows his chance will arrive. “My moment will come and I will make the difference,” he said. “You always train thinking that you’re going to play. Sooner or later, my moment will arrive and I have to be ready. That is the way I am looking at it. “I get on very well with Andre Villas-Boas. He is a great guy who clearly thinks about the future. Because of this, coming to Tottenham is a great step for me and in the future, we’ll see why. “Of course, it’s also important for me to get into the Argentina squad for the World Cup, but I’m confident I’ll play here. We are involved in four competitions so there are many games ahead.”
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 03:54:08 +0000