Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey is now faced with the tough decision of choosing from the examples of former Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck and ex-Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong.
Several local reports and online speculations claim the 21-year-old has travelled to the shores of the West African nation as talks between his parents and officials of the Ghana FA take shape.
But, the 21-year-old has denied reports that he has arrived in the country to firm up his decision to play for the Black Stars.
He is speculated to be one of the players considering committing their international future to Ghana along with Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Athletic Bilbao brothers Nico and Inaki Williams.
Whether he chooses to remain with England and opts to pursue an international career with the Black Stars, he will follow the example of either Emmanuel Frimpong or Danny Welbeck who were once faced with a situation like this.
After proving his worth at Sunderland and Manchester United in 2010 and 2011, Ghana went after the forward he was born to Ghanaian parents in the United Kingdom. The action included using former internationals John Mensah and Asamoah Gyan who played with the young striker at Sunderland. In the end, Welbeck chose to remain with England and even played against Ghana in an international friendly in 2011. The striker, who is currently Lamptey’s teammate at Brighton, went ahead to score 16 goals in 42 senior appearances for the Three Lions.
According to a report published by the Mirror UK, then Ghana head coach James Kwasi Appiah held talks with Welbeck in the Players Lounge at the Stadium of Light after a match during his loan spell there. The approach was the latest in a long line of bids from the Black Stars to tempt him away.
In the case of Emmanuel Frimpong, Ghana won the battle. In September 2011 the Ghana FA announced the decision by the then 19-year-old who had wowed Premier League fans with his brimming energy and exuberance in the few games he played for the Arsenal in the Premier League.
The 30-year-old captained England at U16 and U17 but when the Black Stars came calling, he responded positively and committed his international future to Ghana. However, things didn’t go as expected a string of injuries blighted his hopes, leaving him to make just 1 appearance for the Black Stars.
