Ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Atalanta on Thursday, Gunners' legend Ian Wright has heaped praise on Ademola Lookman, and is concerned about the forward's potential to do damage to the Premier League side.
Lookman played a pivotal role in Atalanta's Europa League triumph last season, netting a hat-trick and handing Bayer Leverkusen their first defeat across all competitions.
Leverkusen had completed a flawless Bundesliga campaign as champions, finishing 17 points clear of their nearest ‘challengers’, and were two finals — one in the UEFA Europa League and another three days later in the DFB-Pokal — away from sweeping all honours before they ran into a peaking Lookman.
Wright, who enjoyed a successful seven-year spell with Arsenal, believes the Nigeria international's current form makes him a major threat to Mikel Arteta's side.
Ian Wright on Ademola Lookman's rise
Reflecting on Ademola Lookman’s performance against Fiorentina last weekend, Wright commented on his show on Wrighty's House: “Oh gosh, did you see his first assist with the way he just flicked it? It’s really beautiful football.
“I’m so pleased for him. But yeah, he worries me. But we’ve got Ben White on that side, and if he’s going to be on that side, we are going to be entertained. There’s a great team, especially with him.”
The Arsenal legend continued, “I’m pleased for him. His journey, where he’s gone, what he’s doing now, you could see a big move, you could see a move for him.
“The way he’s worked up, all the way from Charlton to where he is now, you’d believe that Atalanta is not his final destination in his mind, as great as it can be for them.
“And it’s not disrespectful, but like he’s got a level of playing now where you can see why people would say, I could, yeah, I could use him.”