Tariq Lamptey on family life and swapping Chelsea for Albion

His beloved Chelsea had just scored two late goals to beat old rivals Arsenal and, for the first time, he had been a massive part of it.

First and last as it turned out. A Premier League debut and a Chelsea farewell.

The decision he made in the subsequent weeks looks like having major consequences for Albion, maybe England and Chelsea and certainly Lamptey himself - and his family.

His call to leave the club he joined as a seven-year-old has been one of the hot topics in football of late.

Lamptey’s performances down the right for Albion have made sure of that.

It is not as if Reece James, the man who stayed at Stamford Bridge, does not have promise himself.

James arguably had the last word on the night Lamptey shone against his old club at the Amex.

After all, it was the current Chelsea man whose rocket of a strike provided the key moment in a 3-1 away win.

But Lamptey, brought up in a close Ghanaian family who loved Chelsea and adored Michael Essien, is so far reaping rewards of moving on.

As Lampard and Lamptey stood side by side clapping the fans at Arsenal, it was a big decision the former was hoping the latter would not make.

He admitted as much in his post-match press conference.

Lamptey said: “At that moment I was just focused on the Arsenal game.

“It was a massive opportunity for me and my family.

“To come on against Arsenal 1-0 down and win 2-1 and celebrate with the fans at the end was just one of the best feelings.

“In that moment of time I was just enjoying the moment.

“There were always talks around that time, a lot of talks.”

Lampard revealed after the game Lamprey was already in talks with another club but he hoped the thrill of that appearance might sway him to stay. at Cheksea After consulting with coach Jody Morris, he had sent the young flyer on at just the right time.

Nothing to lose but a lot gain. Arsenal had put a lot of energy and intensity into the first half in their first match under Mikel Arteta.

They could not sustain those physical levels.

They were starting to come off the gas a little and Lamptey suddenly put a spark into their visitors.

It proved to be his only Prem outing for the club.

He said: “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.

“I have come to a club in Brighton who have a fantastic project going with great coaches and great players who can help me improve.

“Hopefully I can keep improving and keep working to take my game to the next level which is what I want to do.

“I want to play as many games as possible.

“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.”

Lamptey speaks a lot about how his family have supported him.

He strikes a balance – not giving too much private info away but making sure their contribution is fully recognised.

He said: “My dad is a massive influence. He and my mum were always taking me up and down the country to training sessions.

“He says he was a footballer but I haven’t seen any videos to prove it so I’ll have to wait for that one!

“He’s a massive part of why I’m here today and my mum as well because they sacrificed a lot for me when I was younger just to be able to take me to training and games.

“It means a lot for me to be playing in the Premier League and hopefully giving back to them as well.

“The sacrifices were from both my dad and my mum. It’s not easy as a parent when your kid is starting off (in football).

WATCH: Baluta scores special goal against Chelsea.

“There was no pressure on me of, ‘You must play football’ or anything like that.

“It was always, ‘Do you enjoy it?’ ‘Do you still like it?’ ‘If you want to go there, we’ll take you’.

“It’s not easy as a parent, especially when you’re working and trying to provide for your family, to also take your kid up to Manchester or Birmingham.

“It’s a hard job. I have two younger brothers as well, so it wasn’t an easy time.

“The little things like my mum picking me up from school, having food in the car and heading straight off to training because the traffic was so bad on the M25. Little things like that. Or my dad training me early mornings before school.

“There are so many things that I’m grateful for and thankful for them to be in this position.”

Morris and Joe Edwards helped as Chelsea coaches who pushed him hard.

“They always got the best of me on the training pitch, and always pushed me to be the best I can be on the pitch and off the pitch and to work as hard as possible.

“That’s what you need. You need coaches that are going to push you and get the best out of you so I’m grateful for having had them as coaches.”

Lamptey recovered from knocks taken at Newcastle last week to face United today.

He says he is used to taking the hits – and will usually get back up.

"I got a few whacks on my glutes and hamstrings but hopefully I’ll be okay. In the under-23s I got quite a few whacks as well and the type of character that I am, I’m someone who is not going to complain too much.

“It’s part of the game. If you whack me I just keep getting up.”