Lamela plays down Tottenham exit talk

Argentine winger Erik Lamela says he is happy at Tottenham and does not want to leave the Premier League club.

The club-record signing struggled in his first couple of seasons following his £25.8m signing from Roma in 2013, and was linked with a move to Marseille or back to Serie A last summer.

However, the 24-year-old thrived at White Hart Lane last season, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists in all competitions as Tottenham finished third in the Premier League, their highest league position since 1990.

"Ever since I came to Tottenham I have always heard that I am supposed to be leaving," Lamela said. "It is the same every summer, I do not know why.

"From the beginning my focus has always been on Tottenham, even when things did not go as planned at the start.

"I have never wanted to leave or thought about leaving. I enjoy playing for the club and get on well with all the players, the staff and supporters.

"I feel a big connection with the club and especially the fans who have always supported me so much."

Tottenham signed Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar this summer, and the £17m Netherlands' striker says a conversation with Dutch legend Ruud van Nistelrooy helped persuade him to join the North London club.

"I want to keep everything he said between him and me because it was a big private talk," he told the Mirror.

"But I tell you one thing - he thinks Spurs are a fantastic club and just right for me."

Janssen, who started the matches against Juventus and Atletico Madrid on Spurs' recent tour of Australia, says he expects a lot of game time next season even as an understudy for first-choice striker Harry Kane.

"I think I will get plenty of playing time at Spurs," he said. "We are going to play at least 60 games this season and that's why the club needed an extra striker."