Liverpool legend Steve Nicol believes Tottenham Hotspur are in dire need of a playmaker, with Erik Lamela, in his view, not capable of picking a pass.
Spurs opted to sell playmaker Christian Eriksen to Italian giants Inter in the January transfer window, earning a fee for a player who was set to be out of contract this summer.
Tottenham did not buy a like for like replacement for Eriksen in January, with Jose Mourinho lining up Argentine Lamela as his number 10 when his side took to the pitch against Manchester United on Friday, with the game ending in 1-1 draw.
Reds great Nicol feels if Tottenham continue to play in a pragmatic manner throughout Mourinho’s time at the club, they will need to sign a playmaker for the Portuguese’s plan to take effect.
Nicol stressed Mourinho’s idea of slotting Lamela into the number 10 position will not work due to the fact that the player is not capable of picking a pass, while he also thinks that striker Harry Kane will be less than pleased by the prospect of the Argentine feeding him.
“If Mourinho is going to play this way all the time, which it certainly looks like, he’s going to have to find a playmaker because he does not have one”, Nicol explained on ESPN FC.
“Erik Lamela, as much as he had the ball, he cannot pick a pass.
“I don’t know whether he sees a pass and even if he does, he can’t pick it and he kept giving it away.
“Harry Kane must be thinking, whether he is sharp, fit physically or not, he must be thinking, ‘Wow, are we actually going to do this game in game out?’ Because if they do, he’s going to have a tough old time getting some goals.”
Tottenham next face West Ham on Tuesday after they shared the points against Manchester United in their first game back in the Premier League.
