Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has said he is a fan of Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey and believes that the youngster "made the right decision" in moving to the Amex Stadium.
The 19-year-old joined the Seagulls on a permanent deal from Chelsea in January of this year and has broken into Graham Potter's line-up recently, starting against Leicester and Manchester United.
Speaking on Sky Sports alongside Patrice Evra last night, Redknapp said of the teenager [via Sussex Live]: "I like him. Me and Patrice were talking about him before the show and Patrice is a fantastic full-back, so he’ll know better than anybody.
"He was in the Chelsea Youth Cup-winning team. He’s made a big decision, because he could probably have stayed at Chelsea with all of his mates getting in the first team."
Redknapp added: "I like watching him play. It’s a massive decision for a player to maybe stay at Chelsea or perhaps go to another club and play. He’s made the right decision for him right now because he’s in the first team."
Lamptey may have been questioning his wisdom about leaving Chelsea for Brighton earlier in the year when he wasn't even getting into Potter's matchday squad, let alone obtaining game-time. However, his patience has been rewarded with starts in their last two matches, with his Seagulls debut against Leicester seeing him named as Sky Sports' man of the match.
At Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard has shown plenty of faith in the Blues' young prospects, with Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount playing regularly while the likes of Fikayo Tomori, Billy Gilmour and Reece James have also forged a way into the first team (as per TransferMarkt).
Lamptey may well have thought himself capable of following suit but, having made just three senior Chelsea appearances before his January move, he now has two for Brighton and will almost certainly add a few more to that total in the remaining weeks of this season.
Also, at just 19, he still has ample time to maybe return to Chelsea in the future as an established Premier League player who got his break at Brighton because he appreciated the value of senior game-time, something he is now getting with the Seagulls.
Brighton fans, was Lamptey right to leave Chelsea? Have your say by commenting below!