Arsenal have shown that whilst much improvement has been made to the squad’s overall strength, there remain some areas of weakness. Areas that are likely to be exposed during the African Cup of Nations and the continuing impacts of the pandemic.
At right-back, Arsenal lost four options against Norwich City through a positive Covid-19 test leaving Ben White to cover in their absence. Takehiro Tomiyasu has proven since signing in the summer to be a brilliant addition to the group.
He has quickly become a fan favourite but highlighted the step down to his covering option. Cedric Soares looked to struggle when coming on for the injured Japanese international against Leeds United in the recent 4-1 away win.
This has led to calls from many of the supporters for the club to look at strengthening the backup option in this particular area.
Players have not been frequently linked since the signing and subsequent success of Tomiyasu but a recent reveal by Duncan Castles on The Transfer Window Podcast cited Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey as a target that Arsenal are ‘exploring.’
“What you have here is Arsenal, who had an interest in Lamptey when he burst onto the scene before that difficult injury that you referred to,” said Castles.
“They are looking again to sign him and exploring the parameters of the deal.”
Lamptey suffered a significant hamstring injury in 2021 which kept him out of Graham Potter’s side for the most part. Returning to the side recently, he has again shown his quality.
The question may be asked why he would depart a starting spot at Brighton to play second-fiddle to Tomiyasu, however, there is evidence to suggest the environment at Arsenal is not so clear-cut.
Technical director Edu convinced Nuno Tavares to leave Benfica to join Arsenal despite the presence of Kieran Tierney.
Subsequently, Mikel Arteta has used the Portuguese youth international considerably despite the presence of the Scot. Were Arsenal to qualify for European football next season, then there would be even more chances for Lamptey to prove himself and earn minutes.
Perhaps Arsenal, and in particular Edu could repeat the same trick to provide the team with an excellent competitive right-back option.
Furthermore, Tomiyasu’s versatility to operate as a centre-back opens up the possibility of the pair playing in the same team and therefore another argument to convince the England youth international to make the switch to north London.
Lamptey would represent another shrewd move by the Gunners, but Brighton are unlikely to let him leave on the cheap similar to their resolute position on Ben White earlier in the summer before he signed for Arsenal in a deal worth around £50 million.
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