Erik Lamela’s Experiences Show Why Tottenham Must Be Patient with Nkoudou

Tottenham Hotspur’s final match before Christmas 2013 was an important one for Erik Lamela.

The attacking midfielder had a tough few months finding his feet in the Premier League after joining from Roma that summer. Five appearances and a smattering of cup and European starts did not prove useful to a quick adjustment to the hectic, often physical English game.

Away at Southampton on that cold December Sunday, Lamela showed signs he was beginning to get the hang of it all. He helped create one of Emmanuel Adebayor’s two goals in the 3-2 Spurs win and offered a few other nice flourishes, altogether looking more comfortable with the game’s tempo.

After another two appearances that month, injuries kept the Argentinian out for the rest of the season. That game may just have been enough to reaffirm in his mind he could deliver in the Premier League.

The opposition manager that day was one Mauricio Pochettino. You wonder if he took note of his compatriot’s performance and had it in mind when he took over at Tottenham the following May.

The patience the Spurs boss showed in Lamela from Day 1 has been well rewarded, last season especially as the now-24-year-old played a significant part in the club’s title challenge.

Pochettino would be wise to show similar faith in Georges-Kevin Nkoudou.

The winger, signed from Marseille in August after protracted transfer negotiations, also had five league appearance to his name before Spurs’ final pre-Christmas game this season.

Unlike Lamela, Nkoudou did not get the opportunity for such a showcase.

Up until now he has started just once since joining, in the EFL Cup defeat to Liverpool. He made his debut as a substitute against Gillingham in the previous round of the competition, but he has had only cameos off the bench since.

Speaking about Nkoudou earlier this month, Pochettino alluded to his recruitment being something of a risk, but also noted he had not expected it to pay off this early anyway.

“We cannot be unfair with Nkoudou because it’s difficult to assess him so early,” he said, per the Hertfordshire Mercury’s Matt Storey. “We need to give him more time and he needs to show his real quality and build his confidence.

“He is very young, he came from Marseille and he had only played for half a season, now, not to play very much. He is very young, he is potentially a good player but you cannot put the responsibility from day one and say ‘come on, you need to perform.'”

Nkoudou, signed for a reported £9 million, has not come burdened with the same expectations Lamela did.

While the Frenchman gained increased attention for his …

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