The former Chelsea youth star has arrived in the country to hold talks with the Black Stars technical team ahead of a possible nationality switch
Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey has arrived in Ghana ahead of a much anticipated meeting with Ghana Football Association top hierarchy and Black Stars technical team, AshesGyamera.com understands.
The 26-year-old touched down in Ghana with his father and was welcomed by some nuclear and extended family members.
He is expected to meet Ghana FA president Kurt Okraku and Black Stars coach Otto Addo in a final meeting before Ghana host Madagascar in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar on Wednesday in Cape Coast.
Lamptey is believed to have opted to play for Ghana where his parents come from since he has little chance of representing England at the senior level.
The Three Lions currently have Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, James Justin, Kyle Walker-Peters, Tino Livramento among others in the right back position.
Therefore, Lamptey asked England U21 coach to drop him from the squad last week ahead of a game since he wants to weigh the option on playing for Ghana.
“He’s asked to be left out of the squad for a bit of head space. He’s not switched, it’s not cemented or anything like that,” England U21 boss Lee Carsely said in an interview.
“But he’s had an approach (from Ghana), we have to respect that.
“We’ve made it clear how important we see him to us. I know the seniors have as well.
“It’s not something that we’ve given up on. Tariq is fully aware of how important we see him.”
Carsley added: “I’ve definitely got to give him a bit of space now. We’ve got a squad of players there that are desperate to play for England.
“I wouldn’t want to leave one out to bring one in that’s unsure, I don’t think that’s fair.
“But the opposite to that is Tariq is a big player for us and we see a real future for him within the pathway, so I’ll definitely be going back to him.
“He would be a big loss. We do have some really good right-backs but that doesn’t mean we should become blasé about our players.
“We see Tariq as an important player for not potentially only the senior team but the 21s as well.”
Last season in the Premier League, Lamptey made 30 appearances and recorded two assists for Brighton.
