View: Everton should forget Lamptey and continue right-back hunt
Everton’s desire to find a long-term successor to Seamus Coleman appears to be coming to a head, with reports suggesting that the club are interested in Max Aarons and Tariq Lamptey.
Mail Online reported earlier this week that Norwich defender Aarons had emerged as a realistic target, though The Liverpool Echo claim that Carlo Ancelotti has yet to personally run the rule over the player.
Meanwhile that same report from The Liverpool Echo claims that Brighton full-back Lamptey has also emerged as someone who could make the move to Goodison Park in the summer.
However, we at Goodison News don’t believe that Lamptey would be the right choice to start on the right side of Everton’s defence.
The Liverpool Echo claim that Lamptey would likely cost around £30million, a similar price touted as Aarons’ price tag, so financially both players make as much sense as each other.
Both highly-rated and potential full England internationals, Aarons is 21-years old while Lamptey is just 20, meaning that both players would certainly fit the bill as far as what Everton are looking for in the long-term.
However the key point that separates the two is their respective heights.
Coleman and Mason Holgate have primarily played right-back this season, with the duo respective heights being billed at 5’10 and 6’0 respectively.
The Liverpool Echo explain that Ancelotti would prefer players of a certain height at the back, and though Aarons is also 5’10, Lamptey is a considerably shorter 5’5.
Lamptey has impressed since signing for the Seagulls from Chelsea last summer, but his diminutive stature would make him somewhat of a physical weak link in Ancelotti’s defensive unit.
Lamptey’s saving grace is his versatility, with the ‘great talent’ having played primarily in a more advanced role for Graham Potter’s side this season, but the Blues shouldn’t be spending a significant fee on someone who doesn’t fit the manager’s defensive profile.
If the Blues don’t move for Aarons in the summer, we believe that the club could benefit from continuing to scout other targets instead of signing someone like Lamptey, who would ultimately feel like a compromise that goes against the Ancelotti’s plan.
In other Everton news, Abdoulaye Doucoure believes he can achieve his Champions League ambition as an Everton player.