Chelsea: Fikayo Tomori should go out on loan, but not to Rennes

Fikayo Tomori has been linked with a loan move away to Rennes, but there are more attractive clubs the Chelsea defender can spend next season at.

Fikayo Tomori has had one of the weirdest seasons of anybody at Chelsea. For awhile, it seemed as if the English defender was the best centerback in the unit and somebody who couldn’t be taken out of the starting line-up. However, as the season progressed and following an injury, Tomori saw his minutes dwindle until they were nonexistent.

After failing to make an appearance following the Premier League’s restart—even throughout Chelsea’s struggles—Tomori’s future is now in question. The Blues are looking to restructure their defense during the summer window meaning there will be even fewer minutes for the 22-year-old next season. However, a loan move is looking increasingly more realistic as numerous teams are interested in his services. One of those teams is Stade Rennais, which wouldn’t be the best thing for his career. Tomori should go elsewhere on loan next season, he just shouldn’t go to Rennes.

After a debut season in the Premier League—a relatively strong one, at that—a move to Ligue One seems like a step in the wrong direction. Of course, Tomori would be playing Champions League football on occasion, but for how long? Rennes is unlikely to go deep into the tournament, so European nights aren’t the biggest deciding factor. The competition that the centerback would be squaring off against weekly is the decisive aspect when figuring out where Tomori should land while on loan.

The fact of the matter is, the attacking play in Ligue One is subpar compared to other European top flights. Further, the competition as a whole is relatively underwhelming. A move to Rennes is nothing to hang one’s head over, but it’s a move Tomori should have made years ago; not at the age of 22.

What Tomori needs now is a loan to another Premier League club. There, he can play top competition week in and week out, regardless of whether or not European football is included. Starting in a Premier League side is an infinitely more valuable experience than playing for a Ligue One club or warming Chelsea’s bench. Of the realistic moves Tomori can make, Everton and West Ham are seemingly the best landing spots for the English defender.

Even though Chelsea is lacking defensive depth and a solid backline, Tomori simply isn’t ready yet. He’s extremely talented—as he showed fans at Derby and for the first half of the year at Chelsea—but what he lacks is experience and proper form. Tomori needs a year or two out on loan, but should remain in England to get the best out of his time away from Cobham.