Arsenal have been linked with Noa Lang and he has now been compared to Emile Smith Rowe – but is being backed to join Aston Villa or Newcastle United.
Lang, 22, racked up nine goals and 15 assists for Club Brugge this past season.
The Dutch winger – who came through the Ajax ranks – really shot to prominence in the 2020-21 season, smashing 17 goals and 11 assists in Belgium.
Lang looks to be a hugely exciting prospect and it’s no great surprise that some top clubs around Europe have been showing an interest.
Arsenal have been linked with Noa Lang
Gazzetta dello Sport reported in March that Arsenal were fighting AC Milan for Lang’s signature.
A £21million price tag was placed on Lang back then and he is likely to move on this summer as big clubs continue to circle.
You can question whether Arsenal really need Lang; they already have two quality youngsters who can play on the left flank in Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe.
Lang would be something of a luxury signing for Arsenal in that respect but you can hardly blame them for being attracted to the Dutchman’s talent.
Lang has now been hailed by David Webb, who worked in Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment department under Mauricio Pochettino.
Webb has told The Athletic that he thinks Lang would thrive in the Premier League and even compared him to a current Arsenal player in Smith Rowe.
Webb was Huddersfield technical director when the Terriers signed Smith Rowe on loan, so that comparison certainly holds some weight.
Yet whilst Webb did note that Arsenal have been scouting Lang, he isn’t sure that’s the best fit for him right now.
Webb instead feels that a move to a team like Aston Villa, Everton or Newcastle would be better Lang, allowing him to become a star with another Premier League club before going to another level in the future.
“Noa Lang is a natural ball-carrier, creator and goalscorer whether operating centrally or off either flank, whose game really developed rapidly within the Ajax youth system, and a player who would excel in the Premier League,” said Webb. “There is something of the Emile Smith Rowe about him — forever making those third-man runs while carrying such a potent attacking threat. He’s a player who won’t hug the touchline if operating wide, but will always look to cut in-field. Or he could operate centrally in a 4-3-3 alongside two more defensive-minded midfielders, with licence to get forward as a line-breaker.
“AC Milan have been linked with him. The Premier League will be tempting for a player who is now a full international and involved in the Netherlands’ current Nations League campaign. Arsenal have scouted him. Where Antonio Conte’s system at Spurs might be too rigid to incorporate him, he’s the type of player who might make an impact at a side like Aston Villa, Everton or Newcastle,” he added.”
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