Mueez Ajao
– When Fikayo Tomori walks back into Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, he will have a point to prove, and not just to his former club Chelsea.
– The 24-year-old centre-back will take his seat in the away dressing room before AC Milan’s Champions League tie, fresh from winning the Scudetto [Serie A title] last season and following rave reviews from a club that has a rich history in the art of defending.
– But seeing the England international’s improvement since he moved to Italy leads to two questions: why did Chelsea let the academy graduate go in the first place, meaning they had to pay £70m for former Leicester defender Wesley Fofana this summer? And why was Tomori left out of the England squad that faced Germany last month instead of the out-of-form Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire?
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– Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, in charge when Tomori was dropped in 2020, and England boss Gareth Southgate are best placed to answer those dilemmas.
– Yet Tomori, who left Chelsea for an initial loan spell at AC Milan in January 2021 before a £24m move the following summer, recognises he has an opportunity to show he has become a “cleverer” defender. Perhaps even a bit more “nasty” after training with team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
– “Every footballer, when you get on the pitch, there’s a point to prove,” Tomori said, speaking to the English media from Milan before Wednesday’s Group E match.
– “Obviously coming from Chelsea and being English, there’s probably that added motivation. I guess you could say that maybe I’ve played differently [at AC Milan] or whatever it is.
– “[The year] 2020 was difficult, not just for me, obviously there was Covid so it was difficult for everyone. I was just itching to get back on the pitch, itching to be playing, and Milan gave me an opportunity and now I’m here.
– “It’s just another chance for me to see some familiar faces as well as to, I guess, show how I’ve developed. I know people have watched the Milan games but going back to Stamford Bridge where it all kind of started, it’s another chance to show myself again.”
