Arsenal could strike Joe Willock swap with eye on £100m double transfer

Arsenal Eye £100m Raid for Ben White & Tariq Lamptey

The first thought for this centres around the fee in question, as with Ben White’s transfer set to put Arsenal back around £50m, surely Lamptey won’t be costing the same amount?

Back in March at the peak of interest, the fees in question were listed around the £30m mark. Now, having not played since December, it shouldn’t be that it’s risen by that much. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Looking at the transfer as a whole though, he is nearing a return from his lengthy lay-off and that has prompted interest from Tottenham of late (via Sky Sports) so it may well have been that clubs were easing off the case to see how his recovery had progressed.

Prior to his setback, Lamptey was one of the most exciting players to watch in the Premier League. Tuning into a Brighton game it was impossible not to be fixated on the boundless energy the 20-year-old exudes up and down the right flank.

Lamptey, usually lining up as the right wing-back in a 3-5-2 system, offers blistering speed and endless stamina that is a menace to play against. Boasting the agility to recover out of possession and a fearless attitude that sees him never shy away from a challenge (or worry about dishing one out), his style is infectious.

There is an undoubted rawness to his game that needs mellowing and smoothing out, but as a natural attacking right-back his skills are clear. Lamptey is at his best carrying and dribbling with the ball. He sits in the 97th percentile across Europe for dribbles completed per 90 and in the 97th percentile for carries into the penalty area.

He wins a bucket load of fouls with his tenacious style and quick feet, while his actions in and around in the box are always forward thinking. He is in the 99th percentile for shot-creating actions from being fouled and goal-creating actions from being fouled.

Of course, the sample size over the past year is small due to his injury, and highlighting his strengths casually glosses over the undeniable weaknesses he has in his defensive attributes.

Hugely talented and with so much scope to develop further, the major concern is over his injury and just how long it will take for him to recapture his best form and fitness. Arsenal will need a right-back who can hit the ground running in 2021/22 and the length of time Lamptey has been out is cause for concern.

If he’d have had the full season under his belt and shown signs of improvement in his own third then this would be a surefire signing. Lamptey looked like he had the lot going for him until that unfortunate setback. Now it’s wandered into territory that Arsenal might want to avoid if they want quick results.