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Chelsea full-back Tariq Lamptey signed for Brighton in a permanent deal on deadline day.
The 19 year old would have been out of contract at Stamford Bridge in the summer, and despite the club wanting to keep him, he was concerned about his lack of first-team opportunities in West London. There was talk about him entering pre-contract negotiations with French side Lille, but, in the end it was Brighton who snapped him up, offering him a contract until 2023.
Lamptey joined the Chelsea academy system aged just 8 years old, and progressed through the ranks, becoming a part of the side that won a quadruple of trophies in the 2017/2018 season, including the FA Youth Cup, and the league title.
He made his Premier League debut as a substitute at the Emirates against Arsenal in December, helping his side overcome a one goal deficit to win 2 – 1. He also appeared in the FA Cup wins over Nottingham Forest and, last weekend, against Hull City, in what turned out to be his last appearance in a Chelsea shirt.
He made his move too late to be part of the Brighton team that fought back to gain a valuable 3 – 3 draw away at West Ham on Saturday.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.