Brighton best defender reaction over chelsea £3m transfer seal

Tariq Lamptey has already exceeded expectations since leaving Chelsea in January.

With Cesar Azpilicueta and Reece James blocking his path in the first-team at Stamford Bridge, the right-back sealed a £3m to Brighton and Hove Albion at the beginning of the year – a decision that the Blues may live to regret.

And for the first time since the move, Lamptey has opened up on why he opted to leave Frank Lampard’s side.

“I had been there from a really young age so it was not an easy decision to make but you get to a point where you look at what the best thing is for your career and you speak to your family members and the people around you who help you and how you can take your game to the next level and how you can improve,” Lamptey told the Telegraph.

“As I person I am a really ambitious boy. I am not one to sit back and rest on my laurels.

“I want to keep going and keep driving forward so I felt it was the right time for me to make the move and come to a club like Brighton which hopefully can give me the opportunity to develop into the player I know I can be.”

Less than a year after making the move to Brighton, Lamptey is being touted as a future England international.

Although, he’s focused on developing as a player.

“No. At the moment I’m just focused on Brighton and playing as many games as possible, keep training as hard as possible, keep playing well and keep a consistent level,” he added.

“What happens in the future on the international side, we’ll have to wait and see.

“I’m still young so I’m just looking forward to the next game which is United and keep playing as well as possible. Whatever comes next, we’ll see.”