News

Potter: Our fans will love ‘infectious’ Lamptey

Graham Potter believes that Albion supporters will soon take a liking to deadline day arrival Tariq Lamptey.

By Alex Stedman • 21 February 2020

By Paul Hazlewood
Graham Potter speaks to the media on Thursday ahead of Sheffield United.

The 19-year-old defender arrived from Chelsea on the final day of the January transfer window, and the boss spoke glowingly about Lamptey after working with him for three weeks on the training pitch.

He said, “He’s explosive, very fast and also technically very good. He’s got a nice personality and a really infectious enthusiasm for football which is refreshing. I think our fans will like him. Nobody is perfect, but he has a nice way of conducting himself. 

“He can play at wing-back or a bit further up in midfield too. He’s not the biggest, but he carries himself well and is strong in the air. 

“What difference does he bring to the squad? Well in comparison to Dan Burn about three foot! 

“But that's what I like about football, competing against an opponent no matter what the circumstances."

16:11

MA+ members & STH only - Log-in required

An existing MyAlbion+ membership or season ticket is needed to view this content. Please note that new memberships take 24 hours to be active to view, registering today for Luton Town match streaming will not be valid in time.

Potter's Sheffield United Press Conference

Potter’s men head to face Sheffield United on Saturday looking to register their first Premier League win of the 2020.

Saturday’s hosts are sixth following their promotion last year and Albion’s head coach was full of praise for how they have progressed under manager Chris Wilder. 

“Chris has done a fantastic job and should be one of the candidates for Manager of the Year for what he’s achieved," added Potter.

“They’ve got a good number of points and have played really well. I have a lot of respect for Chris - he’s someone I worked against last year in the Championship, so I know how well they do in terms of carrying out their roles.

“He’s taken them on an amazing rise in the last few years. They’ve worked on how they want to play for a few years now and developed a core group throughout, so they have a real clarity and identity and - most importantly for me - a belief that they can achieve. That’s what we’re fighting to do.”

By Paul Hazlewood
Chris Wilder exchanges words with his assistant Alan Knill before the reverse fixture at the Amex in December.

Potter used his success at one of his previous clubs as an example.

“I witnessed myself at Ostersunds what having clarity, identity, understanding and belief does for a group - it’s amazing what you can achieve when you have that. 

“We want to do that ourselves, but of course these things take time. We’ve only won six games and I know that the way to convince anyone is to win football matches, that’s the reality. 

“The challenge for me is to do it in the hardest league in the world against some of the biggest and best teams. That's where we're at. I think we’ve made some progress, but we can always do more to get better results.”

02:04

MA+ members & STH only - Log-in required

An existing MyAlbion+ membership or season ticket is needed to view this content. Please note that new memberships take 24 hours to be active to view, registering today for Luton Town match streaming will not be valid in time.

Getting to Know Tariq Lamptey