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Fikayo Tomori loaned to Brighton, fourth Chelsea loanee in Championship top three

By George Perry

ALDERSHOT, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: Fikayo Tomori (R) of Chelsea and Mason Bennett of Derby County during a Premier League 2 match between Chelsea and Derby County at The EBB Stadium on October 24, 2016 in Aldershot, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
ALDERSHOT, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: Fikayo Tomori (R) of Chelsea and Mason Bennett of Derby County during a Premier League 2 match between Chelsea and Derby County at The EBB Stadium on October 24, 2016 in Aldershot, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) /
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Fikayo Tomori will spend the remainder of the season on loan to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Championship. He is the fourth member of Chelsea’s loan army battling for promotion to the Premier League.

Fikayo Tomori is less heralded but every bit as accomplished as some of his fellow Academy graduates. Tomori has been a Blue since the U-8 level. He won two UEFA Youth League titles and two FA Youth Cups before making his Premier League debut at the end of last season.

Tomori trained with Chelsea’s first team for the first half of the season, but only played with the U23 squad. He will have his first taste of sustained senior-level football as he goes on his first loan to Brighton & Hove Albion for the remainder of the 2016/17 season.

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Brighton are currently in second place in the Championship, one point behind Newcastle but with a game in hand. With Christian Atsu on loan at Newcastle and Izzy Brown and Kasey Palmer on loan at third place Huddersfield Town, Chelsea now have four loanees in the top three Championship squads. Huddersfield are a distant third, and have significant ground to make up if they hope to avoid a promotion playoff.

Fikayo Tomori is nominally a right-back, but can play any position in the back line. Brighton have had a series of injuries to their starting defenders. Brighton are looking to Tomori to fill in as needed to provide depth across the defensive positions.

Tomori is still only 19 years old but he is already testing the limits of what he can accomplish among youth and reserve teams. Brighton is likely the first of many loan clubs he will play for while developing towards Chelsea’s first team.

Chelsea have significant depth in the Academy and loan system on defence. Given Antonio Conte’s minimal need for a right back, Tomori should welcome any opportunity he can get to play, even if it is not in Blue.

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A strong run with Brighton ending in their promotion to the Premier League will go a long way to securing a worthwhile loan for Tomori next year. Brighton may wish to keep him for the full season, which would be a perfect situation. More likely, though, he would go back to the Championship, or overseas to the Eredivisie or Bundesliga.

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