Chelsea went from relying on Fikayo Tomori to barely seeing him on the pitch. How can the defender find his way back in from the cold?
It seems somewhat odd to say, but Fikayo Tomori’s overall career can be described as stop start. His Brighton loan did not truly take off. His loan at Hull took some time to get going. At Derby County he started roughly before becoming their player of the season under Frank Lampard.
At Chelsea, Tomori spent much of the first half of the season looking like the Blues’ best defender. He was imperfect, sure, but he still offered more than anyone else.
Then some injuries and illness hit around New Years and all of a sudden Tomori went from a main stay to barely playing at all. In January he started (and played) just twice. In February he played only once. And in March (short as it was due to COVID 19), he did not play at all. How did Tomori end up in the cold so quickly and how can he find his way back in from it?
The story starts back with David Luiz deciding fighting for a spot was too much for him. Tomori was earmarked for a loan and ended up staying as the Brazilian ran off to Arsenal. A few games later, the Englishman was a mainstay for the starting XI. The injuries of others helped, but Tomori had very much earned his place.
That continued until the winter when Tomori came down with an illness. It is not exactly known what it was, but Tomori has barely played since. The times he did play, he hardly impressed, which can be expected after so long off.
Tomori has never been a perfect defender. The stop start nature of his career is usually down to individual errors that hurt the team. Even when he has been at his best for Chelsea, the errors have not totally gone away. That simply adds to the mystery.
The Englishman was Chelsea’s best defender for the first half of the season even with the mistakes. The illness surely factors in, but it cannot be the only reason Lampard suddenly dropped Tomori off the face of the earth for a resurgent Andreas Christensen or Antonio Rudiger and his own rough return from injury.
Lampard has always been clear that he picks his starting XI on merit both on and off the pitch. On the pitch, it is hard to see why Tomori disappeared in January. Off the pitch there simply is not enough information. So what happens now?
It is a bit of a cop out answer, but all Tomori can do is fight to earn a start. If he does that, he needs to fight to keep earning those spots. This extended break has given everyone a hard reset on injuries and fitness and Tomori needs to take advantage of that level playing field.
Furthermore, Chelsea could be looking for a new center back. It may be a low priority, but that alone should give Tomori notice. Rudiger may be the oldest and Christensen may have the highest value, but Tomori is the one most likely to be shipped out on loan. He will have to fight for his place not only when play resumes, but for next season as well.
The mystery of why Tomori went from hero to zero at New Year’s may not fully be answered for some time. But his fate is in his hands. Whenever play resumes, he will have an opportunity to earn his starts. From there, he can either solidify himself in Lampard’s plans once more or write his own ticket for a loan.