Former Chelsea starlet reveals why he quit Stamford Bridge in the summer

Tariq Lamptey opens up on Chelsea exit

Chelsea appear to have lost a gem of a player in Tariq Lamptey.

The 20-year-old spent 11 years at Chelsea before leaving the club last January. He has since thrived for the Seagulls and is now an integral part of Graham Potter’s side.

According to 90min (h/t The Mirror), Lamptey admits he had to swap Chelsea for Brighton in order to garner regular playing time.

“I had to look at where I would get the most football and how I could take my game to the next level.”

A number of youngsters such as Mason Mount, Reece James and Tammy Abraham made their names under Lampard last season.

Lamptey was in the last year of his contract and the club were yet to offer him fresh terms. Rather than stay put, he opted to try his luck elsewhere.

“The move made a lot of sense.”

To his credit, the 20-year-old’s decision has been vindicated. Lamptey has played eight times for Brighton so far this season. During this time, he has scored once and assisted three more goals.

Lamptey admits leaving Chelsea was not an easy decision. But as an ambitious player keen to keep improving, he had to do what was best for his career.

“I sat down with the coaches, family members and agents and thought about what’s best for me. It was a really tough decision.”

According to the player, he did have a number of options to consider. He chose to move to Brighton and as yet, it has proven to be an inspired decision.

More Chelsea News

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• Kai Havertz was one of the big signings for Chelsea this season and has set his sights on gold

Lamptey gave an excellent account of himself in our season opener against Brighton. The youngster was a constant threat down the right and terrorized Marcos Alonso to no end.