5 Premier League players who disappeared completely in recent seasons

#1 Erik Lamela

Dele Alli and Son Heung-min have played extremely well in Lamela's preferred position

In the summer of 2013 Tottenham sold Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for a record amount close to £90 million. Spurs promptly reinvested that money, spending it on seven promising young players. Of those seven, only two currently play for Tottenham, namely the Danish virtuoso Christian Eriksen and the injury-plagued Erik Lamela.

Lamela began his career at River Plate in his native Argentina, making 36 appearances for them over three seasons. His performances in his last season for River Plate attracted the attention of AS Roma, and a move to the Serie A was completed in 2011. He quickly adapted to life in Italy, and scored 21 goals in 67 appearances before moving to Tottenham.

Lamela began his first season at Tottenham poorly and was criticised for his attitude by manager Andre Villas-Boas. The attacking midfielder was provided with a fresh start by Mauricio Pochettino in his second season, and he rapidly became a mainstay in the Spurs team. He developed into a well-rounded player over the next two years and was instrumental in Tottenham's 2015-16 title campaign.

Unfortunately for Lamela, a hip injury last year has kept him out of the Spurs squad for while now. The winger has been edging closer to full fitness, but with the ascension of Dele Alli and the emergence of Son Heung-min, he may struggle to find a way back into the first team.