South American expert Tim Vickery has questioned whether reported Arsenal, Everton and Spurs target Joaquin Correa is really worth his £27 million price tag, speaking to talkSPORT (4 August, 3.30pm).
It was a jibe that followed Arjen Robben throughout his career.
When performing that devastating party trick, cutting inside on to his favoured left boot, the Bayern Munich legend was all but unstoppable.
But his right foot, the cynics said, was for little more than “standing on”.
And while Correa isn’t quite as one-footed as Robben, the Lazio schemer is a tad lopsided.
So much so that, with reports suggesting it would take a fee in the region of €30 million (£27 million) to lure the Argentina international from the Serie A giants, Vickery wonders whether Correa warrants such a hefty sum.
Would Arsenal or Spurs be overpaying for Joaquin Correa?
“It’s a lot to pay for one foot because he does lack a left,” says Vickery, the oracle of all things South America.
“He’s quick and he’s talented. Argentina tried him through the middle (during the victorious Copa America campaign) but that didn’t work. He’s better arriving from a support-striker role.
“If you were defending against him you would steer him on his left foot.”
In July, Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri admitted Correa, a 2018 signing from Sevilla, has asked to leave the Stadio Olimpico before the transfer window slams shut at the end of August.
A month ago, Alfredo Pedulla reported Tottenham Hotspur planned to fork out more than £25 million for a man Fabio Paratici wanted at Juventus.
Since then, however, Spurs have added another fleet-footed forward to Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad in the shape of Bryan Gil.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have yet to return with a second offer – having seen a £17 million bid rejected earlier this summer – and appear to have turned their attentions to a more expensive but Premier League-proven option, James Maddison.
Il Messaggero reported today that Everton and Leicester City also plan to test the waters but, so far, Lazio have shown little desire to budge on that prohibitive price tag.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
