**With just three weeks to go until his contract expired, Brighton and Tariq Lamptey have surprised everyone by announcing the full back has signed a new one-year deal with the Albion.** But what a welcome surprise it is. Most Albion supporters assumed Lamptey would leave on a free this summer having caught the attention of multiple clubs both in England and abroad. The rumour mill said Ajax wanted to sigh him in January, only to run out of time before the transfer window slammed shut. Lamptey was also linked with Spurs, Everton and Leicester City. Although the Foxes’ hopes of signing him were ended the moment their dismal relegation back to the Championship was confirmed. A lack of news about any sort of contract negotiations added to the feeling that a parting of the ways seemed inevitable. _The Argus_ and _The Athletic_ were quiet to the point of silence. _GhanaSoccernet.com_ were the only website reporting anything, revealing in January that talks were set to take place. After that, nothing. The natural conclusion to draw from the radio silence was tither Brighton did not want to keep a player whose injury record is not the best. Or Lamptey wanted a change of scenery where he might better overcome his fitness issues and play more first team football. Or possibly both. The fact Lamptey has only signed a new one-year contract with Brighton rather than committing for two, three or four seasons suggests some of those doubts may remain in the minds of both parties. Fabian Hurzeler too appeared to have doubts over Lamptey when taking over as Albion head coach in the summer. Hurzeler named Lamptey in his starting XI just once through the opening 14 Premier League games of the campaign. Despite all of Pervis Estupinan, Joel Veltman, Jack Hinshelwood, James Milner and Igor Julio being out at one point or another. Having waited patiently for an opportunity, Lamptey seized his moment in December. He scored two stunning goals in draws at Leicester City and Aston Villa to remind everyone of the talent he possesses as an attack-minded full back. Over the course of February and March, Lamptey made seven consecutive starts. The most he had managed in four-and-a-half-years since between September and November 2020. That run of matches coincided with the Albion going on one of their best sequences of results of the 2024-25 season. Six wins in a row were recorded in the aftermath of the 7-0 thrashing away at Nottingham Forest. An ankle injury saw Lamptey ruled out in mid-March. But he managed to return before the end of the campaign. Hurzeler used him as a right winger in the 2-0 victory at Wolves in the penultimate away game of the season. After missing the Liverpool and Spurs matches, it looked like that afternoon at Molineux would be his final appearance in a Brighton shirt. Now though we get at least another year of Lamptey. And him remaining at the Amex helps lessen the amount of transfer business the Albion will need to do this summer. If Tariq Lamptey had departed rather than sign a new Brighton contract, the Seagulls would have needed to sign a new right back to take his place. And quite possibly a new left back too, seeing as Lamptey has provided back up to Estupinan since Roberto De Zerbi successfully experimented with him on the opposite side. Lamptey’s versatility now also extends to being used as an out-and-out winger, as seen against Wolves. The ability to cover multiple position adds to his value. It explains why Hurzeler is now a fan and why Brighton ultimately decided to keep Lamptey. Since joining Brighton from Chelsea for £5 million in January 2020, Lamptey has made 122 Albion appearances. He has scored five goals and registered 12 assists. Lamptey has become an immensely popular player despite his injury issues. He is a likeable young man and someone with the ability to gets fans out of their seat. Watching Lockdown Lamptey terrorise opponents during the early part of the 2020-21 season when games were played behind closed doors gave everyone something to look forward to when you couldn’t go to the pub without buying a scotch egg. Fingers crossed we see more of that from Lamptey in 2025-26. __ Share __ Tweet __ Pin it __ Share __ Share __ Share