Traiq Lamptey success has Brighton boss eyeing another January transfer bargain

Lamptey arrived at Brighton from Chelsea for just £3m and has proved a huge success.

The 20-year-old was struggling for game time at Chelsea but his career has flourished since joining Graham Potter's Brighton.

Lamptey has made a huge impact at right wing back and is set to face Leicester today - the same venue where he made his Albion debut last season.

His pace, skill and fearlessness have added another dimension to Brighton's play and has also seen him drafted into the England under-21 squad.

Potter has been delighted with last January's arrival and feels Brighton could look to boost their first team squad once again next month.

"I love both of them," said Potter with a chuckle when asked if he looks forward to the transfer windows.

"They are both opportunities for players to assess their situation so they can be challenging especially when games are being played.

"But that is just how it is. It is part of the game, part of football, and something we have to do.

"It is logical that January [transfer window] is a bit more difficult to work in purely because players are playing, teams are a bit more reluctant to do anything and you are half way through the season so there are lots of factors.

"That is not to say it is impossible. We signed Tariq in Lamptey in January so anything is possible."

Potter is rarely one to indulge in transfer speculation but admits it is an increasing part of modern football.

"If you have got 24-hour news channels then they need to fill them somehow and a transfer window is good because you can get people talking about stuff and that can fill time.

"There are only so many times that you can re-run this interview before everyone starts falling asleep, so why not talk about transfers?

"Some alleged report from a newspaper says this player is linked with that club and let's talk about that for five minutes and that can kill some time. That is part of life."

Last January window turned Lamptey into a huge part of life at Brighton. He was instant hit with fans following his debut during the 0-0 draw at the King Power last season.

But when did Potter first realise that he had a real talent on his hands? "I don't think it was just one moment," said Potter. "Don't forget, Tariq was on the bench for Chelsea in the Premier League last season.

"So clearly he has attributes. You do not get to that stage at Chelsea if you haven't got attributes and things you can bring to the game in the Premier League.

"On day one you could see that you had incredible pace, courage and a desire to learn and improve. Then it is all about whether or not these attributes can fit into your team, in the right moment.

"Thankfully for us we beat Arsenal in the first game after lockdown and we thought maybe this guy here is ready to help us. He contributed to goals and performances in the restart period and helped us achieve our aims last year. He has taken another step now so we are delighted with that.

Lamptey had a bruising debut last season at Leicester and ended with stitches in his mouth and lumps on his legs after a few robust challenges.

But the 5ft 4in defender proved he has the physicality to cope with top flight football.

"He would have always had that self-belief that he can deal with that," said Potter. "His size is a factor to why he was available maybe.

"But for us it's about the size of his character, the size of his heart, the size of his attitude and his brain, that's the most important thing."