Arsenal target Walker-Peters wants to become England’s Philipp Lahm

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In one of the more surprising rumours of the summer, Arsenal are one of the sides monitoring Kyle Walker-Peters following his superb campaign with Southampton.

Walker-Peters has emerged as a shock target due to the fact that he spent around seven years on the books with the Gunners’ North London rivals.

In fact, Tottenham will likely be monitoring whether Mikel Arteta does pursue the 25-year-old. The same report from The Athletic noted that Spurs have a buy-back clause worth around £30 million.

But certainly, Walker-Peters would have the potential to be a superb signing for Arsenal if a deal is possible. He has been brilliant at right-back during his time with the Saints.

But his game is about so much more than what he does on the right. In fact, his versatility prompted Ralph Hasenhuttl to compare Walker-Peters with Philipp Lahm earlier this year as he prepared to play for England.

Obviously, that is a huge comparison. Lahm enjoyed an incredible career, winning virtually everything with Bayern Munich and Germany. And his ability to play in several positions made him so valuable for 15 years.

But rather than play down the connection, Walker-Peters suggested that he would love to take on a similar level of responsibility in reaction to the comments.

“It is always nice to be compared to the top, top footballers. Yes, I think that versatility is something I’ve had from when I was young. I’ve played in midfield, left-back and right-back,” he told BT Sport.

He added: “Hopefully, yes, I can be England’s Philipp Lahm. There’s a long way to go until I can do that so I just want to do well this week and see what happens.”

Arsenal target Walker-Peters hoping to be as versatile as Lahm

Arsenal have pursued Lisandro Martinez for much of the summer. And a key aspect of the Argentinian’s game is his ability to play in several different positions.

He can play at centre-back, left-back and in midfield.

It remains to be seen if Arsenal manage to sign Martinez. But Walker-Peters would be a fantastic signing for a similar reason. He can play in the right or left full-back roles and thrive.

He has a few more strings to add to his bow before he is as versatile as Lahm. But he clearly has a very bright future ahead – wherever that may take him.