Brighton coach speaks on Lamptey's 'decision to leave Chelsea and predicts big future for former blues kid

The 19-year-old massively impressed in Monday's clash against the Blues.

"He took a decision to leave a place that he liked and he respected a lot, but I think he knew the reason why he was taking that decision, which was probably a really tough one for him," Brighton boss Graham Potter said of Tariq Lamptey, quoted by The Independent.

"He's got a lot of respect, I know, for Chelsea. But obviously then it's our job to try to help him make the most of that decision.

It's a balance between game time, development, training, and feedback and all that sort of stuff, because like I said he is still young and he's got a lot to carry on improving.

"He's a wonderful young player and it's a delight to have him. He's a really good lad to work with, because he's so humble, and it's just so refreshing, how he plays football."

On Monday, Chelsea beat Brighton 3-1 at the Amex Stadium on the Premier League matchday 1. Former Blues' Academy kid Lamptey had an exceptional game as a right wing-back, running rings around Marcos Alonso and providing an assist for Leandro Trossard's goal.

As a reminder, Lamptey refused to sign a new long-term deal with Chelsea last January and left for Brighton on a deal worth around £3m in search for regular first-team football.