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Tottenham will come up against a familiar face on Saturday when they play their second pre-season friendly of the summer in South Korea. Having defeated Team K League 6-3 on Wednesday, they now face Erik Lamela and Sevilla at Suwon World Cup Stadium.
Joining Spurs back in 2013, the Argentine's association with the Lilywhites came to an end last summer after 257 games as he headed to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in a deal that saw Bryan Gil join Tottenham. Dubbing Saturday's showdown a "special game" due to his long stay in N17, Lamela cannot wait to see his former Spurs teammates again, including Son Heung-min, who he has been speaking to recently.
"After so many years at Spurs, it's going to be a special game for me. I'll be seeing many former teammates, and I have a lot of friends there," he said at Sevilla's pre-match press conference, as reported by the Spanish club's official website. "It's going to be special for me and Son. I've been talking to him these days, and I hope to see him and give him a hug tomorrow.
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"What can I say about him? Every year he shows his incredible talent. He has got better every year and is more decisive. I'm not surprised he won the Premier League Golden Boot because he prepares himself in the perfect way to reach those accolades."
Starting off his Sevilla career in fine form with two goals on his debut followed by a stoppage-time winner in their following game, a shoulder injury saw the 30-year-old miss a large chunk of action between November and March. Now back to fitness again, Lamela is working hard to ensure he has a strong 2022/23 campaign.
"Last year, so many things happened. Some injuries that really hurt us, like mine. This year I want to have the regularity I wanted last year, and that's what I'm working hard for every day," he added. "We've just started preseason, and we've worked hard as a team. That's our goal - to be in the best shape for La Liga starting in a month."
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