Former Chelsea right-back Tino Livramento has insisted he made the ‘right decision’ when he left the club to join Southampton last summer. The 19-year-old came through the ranks at Chelsea and was named academy player of the year last season.
However, he didn’t make a first-team appearance for the Blues with the likes of Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta featuring prominently in Thomas Tuchel’s plans. And as a result of the lack of opportunities Livramento opted to leave the club in search of first-team football.
He has been given that chance on the south coast, making 30 appearances for the Saints and impressing in his maiden Premier League campaign. His form has caught the attention of a number of sides and Tuchel recently revealed that Chelsea would’ve preferred to loan Livramento out for the season; as opposed to selling him for £5million, however, the deal did include a buy-back clause.
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But the Blues boss respected his decision to move on, conceding that it was right to let him go in order to further develop his talents. And the England Under-21 star believes he made the right decision in leaving west London for the betterment of his fledgling career.
"You look back and I didn't have many changes through the academy, I stayed at Chelsea and signed every contract that they gave me," he told Hampshire Live.
"Taking that step to decide to leave was massive, but it was well thought out, I took a lot of time and a lot of reasoning. At the end of the day, I just wanted to play first-team football consistently.
"I didn't realise I would play so much so early on, but I realised I would probably get more opportunities than I maybe would have got at Chelsea. It was the right decision for me, I felt.
"Maybe not everyone would have done what I did, and I am not saying what I did would work for everyone, but I looked at it for myself and ultimately, it was what I felt was right for me."
