3 Tottenham Players Who Are Fighting for Their Futures in 2015-16

Tottenham Hotspur return from the international break seeking their first win of the 2015-16 season. Some of members of the squad will also be contending with the extra pressure of fighting for their futures in the process.

Kept on beyond the closing of the transfer window, the following players have all been granted opportunities to reinvigorate their stays at Spurs. Make no mistake, though, they all have plenty to prove.

First up, the centre-back who was seemingly close to leaving earlier this summer.

Federico Fazio

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Fazio has not been called on by Mauricio Pochettino since pre-season.

According to the Press Association, per the Guardian, Federico Fazio would be a West Bromwich Albion player right now if he had been able to agree personal terms last month. Instead, he remains at Tottenham, looking to make the most of the intermittent playing time he will hope comes his way.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino felt sufficiently confident that Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier and new signings Toby Alderweireld and Kevin Wimmer would be enough at centre-back that he was happy to move on Fazio.

Yet, with Dier currently playing central midfield, Fazio's continued presence gives Pochettino a covering option if he needs it—one he is likely to call on in the Europa League group stage as he attempts to negate the impact of a two game per week schedule (and possibly in the Capital One Cup, too, if they progress).

Fazio's biggest issue last season was getting into a satisfactory rhythm and routine without a few games behind him. Thrown into the team in such situations, he was either off the pace or sluggish. The former was evident when he was sent off on his Premier League debut at Manchester City, the latter in a slack outing at home against Aston Villa in April.

The 28-year-old may be destined to leave Spurs in January or next summer. But if there is any hope of convincing Pochettino to keep him around, it will be in proving he can be reliably utilised whenever needed.

Erik Lamela

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Erik Lamela needs to make the most of his next opportunity in the Tottenham team.

Time was winding down on what ended up being a 0-0 draw between Tottenham and Everton when assistant head coach Jesus Perez shouted down the touchline to the substitutes warming up.

Hearing Alex Pritchard called back to be used as Spurs' last change, Erik Lamela's head dropped. His disappointment was clear even from the press box 30 yards away.

Lamela did not visibly start feeling sorry for himself. At the final whistle, he commendably waited to greet his teammates as they trudged off. Nevertheless, the moment summed up a start to the season that has not gone as the attacker would have hoped.

If a late return to pre-season and the difficulty of the situations he was introduced to were behind his inability to impact games against Manchester United and Stoke City off the bench, it was harder to defend an uninspired effort at Leicester City.

The match marked Lamela's first start of the campaign and his opportunity to impress with the team's main playmaker Christian Eriksen injured. With two years experience in English football, he was primed to showcase the talent that had convinced Spurs to spend so heavily on him.

There were flashes of his dribbling and eye for passes, but he rarely looked like hurting Leicester. Replaced by Dele Alli after 65 minutes, the Argentina international's underwhelming performance was shown up by his replacement's energy and directness, which contributed to Spurs eventually taking the lead.

Lamela's quietness undoubtedly influenced Pochettino's decision not to use him against Everton. He should not be written off yet. But with competition for places in Spurs' attack increased by the signings of Heung-Min Son and Clinton Njie, Lamela has a lot of work do to convince his boss to play him.

Tom Carroll

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Tom Carroll was as delighted as anyone when Dele Alli scored against Leicester City, but the younger midfielder is providing direct competition to him.

Tom Carroll will just be pleased to be back in the Tottenham first-team squad after two seasons spent out on loan. On the bench for each of the team's Premier League games so far, the midfielder made his first appearance since August 2013 in the 1-1 draw with Leicester.

That he is back with the club whose ranks he rose through is a testament to Pochettino's belief he can contribute. Carroll is one of the club's best passers and, as seen in recent offseason games (notably his goal against AC Milan), he has some attacking chops too.

Like Fazio (and maybe Lamela), he will almost certainly feature in upcoming cup games. However, while the external pressure on Carroll is not the same as that on the expensive foreign recruits, he will undoubtedly feel a similar need to impress.

His current contract is due to expire next summer. He is part of Pochettino's plans for the time being, but that will not remain the case without proof of progress.

Carroll's appearance at Leicester was thoroughly overshadowed by Alli's scoring. The man who has essentially taken his place in the England under-21 setup (now Carroll is too old) leads the competition to be the next youngster promoted to regular duty in the Spurs midfield.

With Josh Onomah and Harry Winks lurking in an already crowded position, Carroll will know it is up to him to argue his own case quickly and effectively.