Dayot Upamecano: Why Arsenal and Tottenham will both be full of regret watching 'formidable' RB Leipzig defender

The 21-year-old defender delivered a man-of-the-match display as RB Leipzig booted Atletico Madrid out of the Champions League with a 2-1 victory in Lisbon on Thursday night.

Up against the likes of Diego Costa and Joao Felix, Upamecano showed why he is ranked among the most promising centre-backs in Europe by hardly putting a foot wrong.

BT Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas said: "When you look at Upamecano going up against Diego Costa today, it was like no point Costa even being there."

Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand added after the game: "Upamecano was the best player tonight, he was formidable on the pitch."

The Frenchman's arrival on the biggest stage welcomes another star player to Players Arsenal Almost Signed FC.

Indeed, the Gunners were very interested in Upamecano last summer and it is understood the player was also keen to join.

However, with his release clause set at 60million euros, Arsenal considered the defender too expensive.

Given Arsenal's defensive woes this season and Upamecano's subsequent success, it would be interesting to see whether they would think differently in hindsight.

Tottenham will also be thinking about 'what could've been' had they signed Upamecano as a 16-year-old.

He was identified by Spurs scouts as an outstanding prospect in 2015, but the Premier League club couldn't compete with Red Bull's financial muscle.

Last summer, Upamecano was anyone's for the right price, with his contract set to expire in 2021, but since then RB Leipzig have tied him down until 2023.

So while Arsenal considered him too expensive, don't be surprised if somebody pays even more than 60m euros to sign him in the near future.

If you were watching the game last night and wondering where you'd heard the name 'Dayot Upamecano', it was probably those endless links to Arsenal last summer.