Sports News of Friday, 1 January 2021

Source: goal.com

Potter: Brighton & Hove Albion will miss Lamptey against Wolves

Tariq Lamptey was born to Ghanaian parents in England Tariq Lamptey was born to Ghanaian parents in England

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter believes Tariq Lamptey's absence in Saturday's Premier League encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers will be a big miss.

For the third time in a row, The Seagulls are set to be without their first-choice right-back amid concerns about his fitness.

He has been among their top men so far this season, having made 11 appearances, scored one goal, and assisted another goal.

"It [Lalana's injury] is not as bad as we first thought, he has an outside chance of playing against Wolves. Tariq probably won’t be involved, but he is not far away which is also good news," Potter said in team news ahead of Saturday's game, his club's official website has reported.

"Danny Welbeck felt the side of his knee after West Ham. He was okay for the bench on Tuesday, but I decided to be safe with him. We just need to try and get Adam and Tariq back as quickly and safely as we can.

"It's clear Tariq is a miss, he gives us a different dimension, but during the season players will all have injuries. We have a squad and have to get on with it."

After struggling for first-team action at Chelsea where he developed through the youth ranks, Lamptey left for Brighton in January, making eight appearances to help The Seagulls finish the 2019-20 season in 15th position.

After a run of fine performances this term, the 20-year-old has been touted among the revelations of the season, his exploits reportedly drawing interest from Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, and most recently Arsenal.

Brighton will be hoping to promptly welcome Lamptey back in action to boost their early relegation fight so far this season.

After 16 rounds of matches, Potter's outfit finds themselves just one place and two points above the relegation zone.

Lamptey’s fine performances for Brighton have also attracted interest from Ghana, for whom he is eligible to represent at the international level despite currently playing for England at the U21 level.

The fullback was born in Hillingdon to Ghanaian parents, a status that allows him to switch international allegiance should he decide to do so.