Tariq Lamptey believes he had to swap Chelsea for Brighton if he wanted to play regular football.
The full-back came through the ranks at the Blues having joined them as a nine year old.
He made his debut at the Emirates in December last year and made a further two first team appearances.
A host of academy graduates, such as Mason Mount, Reece James and Tammy Abraham, have been blooded in under Frank Lampard
But with his contract winding down Lamptey had to make the best decision for his future and opted to quit Chelsea with no fresh terms tabled.
The 20-year-old made the move on deadline day in January and has not looked back since.
He told 90min : “I'm an ambitious boy. I look at things and enjoy them in the moment, but the next day I'm looking to see what I need to improve on and how I can stay at that level.
"I'm always looking for a chance to play again, and that moment made me even more hungry. I'd had a taste of it and I wasn't going to let it go.
“I sat down with the coaches, family members and agents and thought about what's best for me. It was a really tough decision.
“Being at a club since the age of nine, going up through the whole system and making your first-team debut, everything happened so quickly.
"But I had to look at where I would get the most football and how I could take my game to the next level.
“It wasn't an easy decision. I thought about it every day. But the opportunity came for me to come to Brighton, which is a fantastic club with a really good plan for the team, and the move made a lot of sense.
“There was quite a few options to go to, but I sat down with my family and talked about where would be best for me, where could help me develop, and I thought Brighton would be the best club for me.”
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