Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has, on Friday, opened up on the summer departure of gifted young stopper Valentino Livramento from the club.

Who is Tino Livramento?

Englishman Livramento long stood as one of the most highly regarded talents on the books at Stamford Bridge.

The teen is a versatile performer who generally lines out in a wing-back role on the right. He is also more than capable of featuring in either a more traditional full-back role, or even on the wing, though.

This comes with Livramento’s most impressive traits often showcased in the final-third.

He has earned widespread praise for a stellar blend of pace, ability in one-on-one situations, final ball and, perhaps above all else, outstanding fitness levels.

The starlet, in turn, managed to prove himself as the standout performer for Chelsea’s U23 side last season.

Bombing up and down the right flank with equal vigour and quality, Livramento racked up an impressive two goals and six assists across 20 Premier League 2 appearances.

In a further six outings between the EFL Trophy and FA Youth Cup, meanwhile, he directly contributed to another five goals.

Livramento’s stellar exploits, in turn, saw him recognised by both Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, and his fellow talents at youth level, back in May.

After being called up for senior duties for the first time ahead of the Blues’ Premier League meeting with Manchester City, the gifted teen was subsequently named as the Academy Player of the Year in West London:

Southampton switch

It therefore no doubt come as an altogether disappointing development for the Chelsea faithful when word was forthcoming early in August that Livramento was on the verge of moving on.

With the likes of Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta blocking his path to first-team action at Stamford Bridge, the explosive right-back came to the decision to test his talents elsewhere.

Premier League rivals Southampton, in turn, swooped, with Livramento’s St. Mary’s switch having subsequently been confirmed on August 2nd:

The 18-year-old has since gone on to enjoy a stellar start to life in Hampshire, quickly usurping Kyle Walker-Peters as Southampton’s first-choice right-full to establish himself as a key member of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s backline.

In fact, to this point, Livramento has featured in all but four minutes of his new side’s Premier League campaign.

‘Saw the potential…’

Had his former boss had his way, though, then the talented young defender would seemingly never have departed his boyhood club in the first place.

Speaking in a press conference this afternoon ahead of Chelsea’s meeting with Southampton on Saturday, a clash in which Livramento himself is likely to feature, Thomas Tuchel was drawn on the starlet’s Stamford Bridge exit during the summer.

And Tuchel went on to confirm that he was in fact hopeful of Livramento staying put, amid ‘a big chance for him to make it all the way’:

‘We did everything to keep him here and show him his future, to compete for a position in our team. He decided to go, there are no hard feelings. He was, of course, competing with Reece and Azpi for the wing-back position. There was a big chance for him to make it all the way. It’s fair enough, we wish him all the best. We saw the potential.’

Could the English youth international yet end up back at Stamford Bridge, though?

Chelsea are known to boast a buyback option on their ex-academy standout, with Tuchel’s praise hinting that those in a position of power remain firm believers in Livramento’s abilities.