Game of Eleven

According to Dan Kilpatrick of the Evening Standard, the Brighton and Hove Albion wing-back Tariq Lamptey is likely to be considered a key target for the club heading into next season after missing out on a signing in the role last month, writes the FFC.

Spurs saw a move for Adama Traore fall through in the 11th hour after the Spaniard rejected the opportunity in favour of joining his boyhood club Barcelona. It’s thought that he was not convinced by their plans to play him in defence.

Whilst it’s also believed that the north London outfit were some way off Middlesbrough’s valuation of Djed Spence, who is impressing out on loan to Nottingham Forest.

There is a general acceptance around Hotspur Way that it will take several transfer windows to sort out Spurs’ squad, which lacks strength in depth, even more so after the sheer number of departures in the summer and the winter.

Harry Kane is still without a backup or a partner in attack. Ben Davies is still playing out of position in the backline. And that’s just two of many, many issues.

Conte wanted three new additions this January but he got two. Two solid ones at that but that’s not going to transform the team in the way he wants – but in the summer, the arrival of Lamptey could truly kickstart a big revolution in the off-season.

One of the positions that Spurs failed to bolster was that right wing-back position, where the Italian head coach believes he needs better options.

The Times claim that he remains unconvinced by Emerson Royal, who was signed by Nuno Santo in the summer, and Matt Doherty, hence the interest in Traore.

Lamptey is a hugely exciting and homegrown talent that would fit Conte’s system like a glove. The thought of him and Sergio Reguilon controlling the flanks for years to come is a mouthwatering prospect.

Since his breakthrough in the Premier League, the diminutive 21-year-old dynamo averaged 3.3 dribbles, 2.5 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and 1.1 key passes per 90 minutes, with WhoScored also describing his key attributes as being short passing and dribbling.

His form over the last few seasons on the south coast has led to high praise indeed – The Mirror’s chief football writer John Cross once dubbed him a “phenomenal young talent,” whilst teammate Pascal Groß described him as a “special boy” to talkSPORT.

tanding at 5 foot 4, the £16.2m-rated sensation has the pace, dribbling and creative attributes to thrive as a wing-back under Conte. “He is so fast. He has got the character, the attitude and the attributes that can affect games in the Premier League,” his manager Graham Potter once said.

Lamptey is expected to cost around £50m but given just how crucial the position is for Spurs, it would be a very wise investment indeed.