Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Garth Crooks has claimed that Spurs midfielder Dele Alli’s regular place in the starting eleven could now be threatened by the resurgence of Erik Lamela.
Lamela, who scored the only goal during Tottenham’s 1-0 win over West Ham on Saturday, has now been directly involved in 10 goals during his last nine appearances across all competitions.
The Argentine gave Spurs the lead in the 44th minute as the visitors held on to secure all three points and go level on points with Chelsea, who occupy third place in the table due to a superior goal difference.
Alli is currently sidelined due to a hamstring injury and is expected to return to action before Spurs face defending champions Manchester City in their next Premier League assignment.
Crooks admitted that the resurgence of Lamela during the absence of Alli could make it tough for the England international as he tries to get back into the starting line-up when he is back from injury.
“Erik Lamela seems back to the player he was before he had his long lay-off with injury”, Crooks wrote in his weekly column for the BBC.
“He dominated proceedings against West Ham and his efforts deserved to be rewarded with the winning goal.
“Dele Alli had better be careful – Lamela is very capable of taking his place.”
Lamela has scored five goals in seven games for Spurs in a superb run of form.
