Tariq Lamptey joined Fiorentina permanently from Brighton & Hove Albion late in the summer transfer window.
The right-back made his debut against Napoli at the weekend, coming off the bench.
On Wednesday evening, Lamptey was at his first press conference as a Fiorentina player and spoke about Chelsea, leaving Brighton and what convinced him about a move to Florence.
The Ghana international revealed that he held a conversation with ex-Seagulls manager Roberto De Zerbi to seek advice about the move to Fiorentina, with the Italian having managed in Serie A in the past.
He said, relayed by Tuttomercatoweb: “De Zerbi? He was important for my development. I spoke to him as soon as I arrived in Florence, and he wished me well.”
Lamptey also claimed that he also spoke to Brentford player Michael Kayode, who previously plied his trade with Fiorentina.
“I spoke to him before coming here, and he only told me positive things about the club, my teammates, and the city.”
The 24-year-old revealed that Fiorentina had been keeping an eye on him for quite a while and that is why he left Brighton to join La Viola.
“Fiorentina had been after me for a long time, since I was very young. They scouted me for years, and now I’m honoured to be here and grateful for the club’s effort. Other clubs have also been after me in recent months, but I wanted to come here.”
Lamptey’s game time in the last two seasons had been significantly impacted by consistent muscle injuries under Fabian Hurzeler.
Due to that, he played less than 2000 minutes across two Premier League seasons and fell down the pecking order at Brighton.
While he is expected to be behind starting right-back Dodo at Fiorentina, this will give him time to settle into life in Florence. Perhaps, a change in environment will do him good and Lamptey can finally fulfil his potential.
