Tariq Lamptey: The Brighton fan favourite that failed to deliver on the hype

The two have traded players, managers, recruitment staff and coaches to name a few, each one with varying degrees of success for either side.

But the origins of this modern relationship can be traced back to Albion’s signing of a then 19-year-old full-back who decided to take the plunge away from the glitz and glamour of West London.

Tariq Lamptey had a bright future ahead of him in 2020. After 11 years learning his trade at the world-renowned Cobham academy, the defender was called upon by head coach Frank Lampard to make his first-team debut in a feisty London derby against Arsenal in December of that year.

The youngster came up swimming from the deep end, as the Blues pulled off a memorable 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium, with Lamptey catching the eye of many fans and pundits alike.

Surrounded by fellow Cobham boys Mason Mount, Reece James, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham, Lamptey was expected to be another talent that would be nurtured to stardom by Lampard, as he continued to revolutionise the club which was infamous for picking global names over youthful prospects.

However, being in a position already occupied by club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and star boy Reece James, Lamptey saw a future of frustration and limited game time, deciding instead the best move for his career would be to the south coast, as he signed a three-year-deal with the Seagulls in January 2020 for a fee of £1.2 million.

Three years and 72 appearances later, Lamptey is now in a similar situation, a lack of game time and low ranking in the pecking order has lead to interest from Lyon and Sporting Lisbon in a short-term loan move until the end of the season.

So what has happened? Where did it all go wrong for this highly-rated fan favourite?

It all started so well, the young defender won the hearts and minds of many Albion supporters on the opening day of the 2020/2021 season with an explosive performance against his former club.

Brighton lost the game 3-1 to Chelsea, but Lamptey stole the show by showing his ex-employees what they were missing out on, being a contestant threat to Marcus Alonso with his pace and dribbling ability from the right-wing back position.

After the game, then-head coach Graham Potter said: “He played like he does every day in training, he brings a freshness, a personality and a bit of quality. He’s a really good lad to work with because he is so humble and it is refreshing how he plays.

"Our job is to help him improve because he has got a lot to learn, but he has a lot of attributes that are exciting and we need to help him make the most of those.

“He took the decision to leave the place he liked and respected a lot, it must have been a tough one for him, but its our job to make sure he makes the most of that decision.”

Lamptey continued to sparkle in Potter’s Brighton side, leading to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher tweeting his admiration for the full-back after a man-of-the-match display in a 3-0 away win at Newcastle, as rumblings off a call-up to the senior England squad began to sound lounder with each passing game.

But then, disaster struck, on a cold December night in a forgettable goalless draw against Fulham, Lamptey sustained a serious hamstring injury, which would keep him on the side-lines from the remainder of that season.

Ever since this fateful night in the capital, the right-back has been attempting to rediscover the form that made him such a hot prospect. Unfortunately, he has largely failed to do so.

The following season, Lamptey didn't appear on a football pitch until October 2021 and didn't make a start for Brighton in the Premier League until the following month, playing as many games that season from the bench as he did from within the first XI.

Potter began to utilise Pascal Groß and Solly March in the right-wing back role of his 3-5-2 formation, especially as the club began to thrive towards the end of the 2021-2022 campaign, where they won five and lost just one of their last nine league games.

This continued at the start of this season, March’s form saw him start over Lamptey and prosper in a team that was finally starting to take shape and challenge the teams towards the top half of the table.

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Of his 16 appearances for Brighton so far this season, 15 have been off the bench for Lamptey.

When Roberto De Zerbi was announced as Potter’s replacement in the Albion hot seat, some saw an opportunity for Lamptey to rediscover his starting place.

Following an impressive second-half cameo in a 3-1 loss to Manchester City, in De Zerbi’s fourth game in charge, the Italian spoke highly of the 22-year-old: “He is a good guy and a good player, I think he has the possibility to improve a lot. He has physical quality and the quality to attack at right-back.

"It’s different to Veltman, he is more of a defender and Lamptey attacks more. I like him and I have a plan for him, normally I have other players with other characteristics, but he is a good player.”

As De Zerbi shifted the team’s formation to a 4-2-3-1, Solly March was pushed into a more advanced wide position, freeing a place for Lamptey on the right-hand side of a back four.

Then, following a match winning goal against Arsenal in the third round of the EFL Cup and two admirable performances for Ghana (the birthplace of his parents) at the 2022 World Cup, it seemed that Lamptey was closer then ever to returning to where he once was.

Finally, after 20 league games on the bench, Lamptey was named in a Premier League starting line-up for Brighton and Hove Albion. Named in the right-back position for their New Year’s Day clash with league leaders Arsenal at the Amex Stadium.

Yet again, disappointment was just around the corner. Less then 120 seconds into the game, Lamptey picked up the ball on the edge of his area and decided to do what he normally does best.

The attempt was to drive through Arsenal’s midfield with his blistering pace and close control to start a counter-attack. However, in reality the 5’3 ft defender had the ball pinched off him by Thomas Partey, who started the attack which lead to Bukayo Saka opening the scoring in an eventual 4-2 win for Mikel Arteta’s side.

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After the game, De Zerbi did not single Lamptey out specifically, but was highly critical of the first goal that he was largely responsible for.

The Brighton boss said: “I am sorry for the first goal. We are very young with young players. We have to improve to understand the different moments inside the game because in that moment, with more focus on the defensive phase, I think we could have found the possibility to score more and to open the game.”

Lamptey has unsurprisingly not started in the league since then and hence we are now here, with the player now likely to leave the club by the end of the trasnfer window.

As the recent Trossard saga shows, De Zerbi does not suffer fools gladly, if a player wants to leave or is not of the level of performance and effort required to play in his side, he is tossed to the side by the ambitious Italian.

But despite the setbacks, Lamptey’s current boss was complimentary of the youngster in a recent press conference when asked about his squad’s mentality: “There are young players with a fantastic mentality. Lamptey is very young but he is old in terms of mentality.”

Furthermore, the player is loved by the fans, as shown by the reaction to the latest transfer news on social media.

Many believe the attacking full-back should have played more under both Potter and De Zerbi, feeling they have ben starved of seeing the player’s edge-of-your-seat talents.

However, it seems that managers are demanding more maturity in Lamptey’s defensive decision making, something which they can rely on in picking the more experienced March or Groß.

There may still be a future for Tariq at Brighton, as this move would not be permanent. However, in reality this feels like a ship that has sailed, which is why so many fans are heart-broken at the thought of this transfer.