Mark Warburton: Tottenham rising star is an inspiration for my Rangers flops

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Published on:

07 Oct 2016, 2:50 am

By Alex Stevens

Erik Lamela should serve as an inspiration to Rangers struggling summer signings, according to Mark Warburton.

The Tottenham attacking midfielder was widely considered a flop during his first two seasons at White Hart Lane after joining from Roma in the summer of 2013 for a club-record £26million.

But Lamela, 24, emerged as a key figure in Mauricio Pochettino's side last season as they clinched a third place finish against the odds.

Rangers signed 11 new players during the summer window, as manager Warburton looked to add quality to his team for their first season back in the Scottish Premiership.

Most of the club's summer additions have struggled to make an impact at Ibrox but Warburton has insisted they should not be written off.

“I remember [Erik] Lamela coming to Spurs and people saying it took him 12 months to settle in and now he’s producing a fantastic level of football,” Warburton told the official Rangers website.

“But 12 months to settle in…the expectation here at Rangers is such that players are expected to deliver immediately, and it takes time.

“It’s a different culture, different demands, different responsibilities at the club. The weight of expectation, dealing with so many different things and we laugh and joke about the weather, but it is players dealing with different circumstances.”

Rangers will be hoping that their new recruits can turn around their form in a similar manner to Lamela, as most of them have been disappointing so far this season.

The Ibrox side are currently in fifth place in the Scottish Premiership table, after winning just three of their first eight matches.

In other Rangers team news, Mark Lawrenson has explained why Joey Barton's career has been saddled with controversy.

Tottenham Hotspur

Erik Lamela

Rangers

Mark Warburton