Erik Lamela's Tottenham career has blown hot and cold during his eight years

Tottenham's transfer recruitment over the last decade has been curious to say the least, but none of their signings have been quite as enigmatic as Erik Lamela.

Eight years on from his £33million move from Roma, then a Spurs transfer record, he has never been considered as one of the first names on the team sheet, and there have been occasions where his future at the club have been in serious doubt.

And those questions will return later this year, with quotes from Bologna director Walter Sabatini stating how the Serie A club want Lamela if they lose winger Riccardo Orsolini and AC Milan.

Sabatini said he couldn't think of a better replacement than Lamela and if he does depart Spurs in the summer, be it Bologna or somewhere else, it's hard to sense that there would be major anguish among the Tottenham supporters.

Yet you don't get to stay at a club for eight seasons and play 250 games without having done something to impress managers - and he has had four of them during his time in north London.

The recent north London derby defeat at Arsenal rather summed up his career at Spurs to date. His rabona goal to open the scoring underlined his technical brilliance he has shown down the years, and while his red card was his first for the club, it acts as a proxy for the times he has gone missing metaphorically on the pitch and with injury off it.

Lamela arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2013 with huge expectations as arguably the biggest of the 'Gareth Bale seven' that arrived in a then huge £100m spending splurge to replace the Welshman who had departed for Real Madrid for a world record £86m.

Seen as Bale's replacement, it was huge pressure on the 21-year-old. While he was yet to establish himself as a fully recognised name across the continent, he was arriving at White Hart Lane as one of Serie A's stars following a sensational season at Roma where his confidence to run with the ball and take on defenders and finish with aplomb marked him out as a potential star for the future.

Unfortunately, his maiden season turned into a nightmare. With the possible exception of Christian Eriksen, none of the 'Bale seven' impressed. Roberto Soldado failed to bring his goal record from Spain, Paulinho and Etienne Capoue did little in midfield, Vlad Chirches's skills on the ball failed to compensate for his defensive shortcomings at the back and utility man Nacer Chadli struggled to have a notable impact.

Where was Lamela? Injured mostly. He made just two Premier League starts under Andre-Villas Boas before he was sacked and one of those was in a 6-0 mauling at the hands of Manchester City.

Once Tim Sherwood stepped in as manager in December a day after Villas-Boas' exit, Lamela featured in just 90 minutes of Premier League football before a back injury ruled him out for the rest of the season heading into 2014.

By the end of a miserable campaign for the club, there were already rumours over his future but it was hoped new boss Mauricio Pochettino could get the best out of Spurs' large range of flops from the previous season.

Lamela look to have stepped up when he scored another sensational rabona goal in a Europa League tie against Asteras, and his Premier League minutes increased and included his first top flight goal against Burnley.

The Burnley effort, cutting inside from the right before picking out the top corner, was exactly what he was brought in to do to replace Bale but it was the exception rather than the rule.

It was becoming clear that Lamela wasn't going to be able to replace Bale and he looked on the cusp of joining Marseille at the start of the 2015-16 season before the move sensationally collapsed after Spurs failed to get a deal over the line to sign his replacement Saido Berahino on deadline day.

It proved a blessing. While at this point Harry Kane had emerged as the King of White Hart Lane, Lamela was a constant presence in a Spurs team that led an unexpected title charge before eventually finishing third - as he flourished in an attacking midfield, perhaps none more so than in a 3-0 victory over Manchester United where he found the net.

Pochettino's side contested for the title the following season but much of it was without Lamela who in October picked up a hip injury which ruled him out for the rest of the 2016-17 season.

He would not return again for over a year, but by now he was considered a fringe player at Spurs and rarely started despite  being consistently used as a substitute.

The same pattern emerged the following campaign but now injuries were becoming a constant feature. He missed 14 out of 38 games relating to knocks, strains, as well as hamstring and calf injuries. Last season he missed another nine games due to hamstring issues.

The days of becoming the key first team star player have long since sailed for the 29-year-old but he remains an important part of a squad that lacks strength in depth. As a versatile player can feature across the midfield and even the attack.

Jose Mourinho told the Spurs players in the TV documentary that they had to be 'intelligent c****' in terms of how they apply dark arts on the field and step up to the opposition and, north London derby aside, nobody shows this aggression and gamesmanship better in the Spurs side better than Lamela.

In fact, he may be the only player capable of it in a team which often desperately lacks character and can appear to be too nice.

It's not the only reason Mourinho loves the Argentine though, who he has constantly praised for making himself available even when he has not been fully fit.

After returning from a hamstring injury last year, Mourinho commented on Lamela's work rate, saying: 'He is a player I like very, very much, I've always liked.

'[He has] an incredible spirit to recover, incredible spirit to work and didn't even go home to Argentina in the days off that we gave to the boys. Stayed here working hard, trying to give us what he gave in last game, after no training, no conditions.'

No Spurs fan would question Lamela's commitment and he has a popular chant sung to the tune of Crowded House's early 1990s hit 'Weather with you' (Everywhere you go, always take Lamela with you.)

But supporters are divided on his long term use. Some think his versatility and passion for the club are enough to keep him on, but others fear his overall impact is wildly inconsistent, insisting he takes too many touches of the ball before delivering a pass that can stunt any counter attacks which Mourinho's team heavily rely on.

His injury record also makes him unreliable and he could now be preventing opportunities for younger stars at the club.

Either way, it doesn't seem like Tottenham will ever get full value for the £33m they invested in what they thought was a Bale replacement, but wherever his future lies he is sure to go down as a cult hero among supporters.