The brother of Erik Lamela was taken hostage in Buenos Aires, just hours before Tottenham Hotspur's £30m record signing made his home debut against Norwich City.
On Friday, Axel Lamela was kidnapped by armed carjackers, who demanded a £600 ransom in order for his return, but it is believed that the Lamela family were not targeted due to Erik's fame and fortune.
According to Spurs sources, the 21-year-old arrival from Roma was aware of the kidnapping and the fact that his family paid for the release of Axel, whose BMW was stolen during the incident.
Older brother Brian Lamela said in a statement: "They told us to get the ransom money and make sure the police were not involved. They came to our front door to collect the money.
"They did not cover their faces and the security cameras at our house recorded them. My brother is calm. All of us think it was a random incident – they simply kidnapped him for the car and nothing else."
Meanwhile, Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has admitted that Lamela, who came off the bench for a 10-minute cameo in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Canaries, may take some time to settle in the Premier League.
Joe Fish
