Chelsea spent around £200m this summer, acquiring a host of players such as Pedro Neto, João Félix, Kiernan-Dewsbury Hall, Filip Jorgensen, Mike Penders, Aaron Anselmino, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Marc Guiu, and Tosin Adarabioyo.
But there was another surprise addition on deadline day, with Jadon Sancho joining the club on an initial loan, with an obligation to buy. The fee will be £20m fixed plus £5m of add-ons, confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.
Sancho made 24 appearances last season for Manchester United and Dortmund, scoring three goals, providing three assists, and totalling 1,593 minutes played.
As you can see, his form has taken a nosedive since those dizzy days at Borussia Dortmund. He was a trailblazer, pathing the way for English talent to move abroad in the modern era and thrive.
Fikayo Tomori is one to follow in his footsteps, trading the Premier League for a top-five European league.
Fikayo Tomori’s breakthrough at Chelsea
Tomori broke into the Chelsea first team under Frank Lampard after making 33 appearances for the Chelsea U21 side and spending time on loan with Derby County (also under Frank Lampard).
He eventually made 27 appearances for the Chelsea first team, scoring two goals and providing one assist in that time, totalling 2,133 minutes played at senior level for the club.
However, after falling out of favour under club legend Lampard, eventually Chelsea cashed in on the English defender, who made the move to AC Milan in 2021 for around £25m which was an option after his successful loan spell with the club.
How Tomori has played at AC Milan
Tomori has made 145 appearances for Milan since joining the club, scoring seven goals, providing one assist, and totalling an impressive 12,168 minutes played for the Rossoneri.
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Described as a “fantastic” transfer by scout Jacek Kulig, the 26-year-old is now valued at around £34m by Tranfermarkt, gaining value since joining from the Blues back in 2021.
To put that into context, he is rated more highly than the aforementioned Sancho and to offer more perspective, he is valued higher by Transfermarkt than the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Romeo Lavia and fellow defender Benoit Badiashile.
Speaking of which, how does the English centre-back compare to Chelsea’s current options?
|
Tomori vs Disasi vs Badiashile comparison |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Tomori |
Disasi |
Badiashile |
|
Goals |
0.13 |
0.07 |
0.05 |
|
Progressive Carries |
0.63 |
1.05 |
0.20 |
|
Progressive Passes |
2.91 |
3.90 |
3.09 |
|
Pass Completion % |
90.7% |
90.0% |
90.8% |
|
Tackles |
1.99 |
1.15 |
1.41 |
|
Blocks |
1.55 |
0.91 |
1.41 |
|
Interceptions |
1.17 |
0.59 |
1.01 |
|
Aerials Won |
1.27 |
2.51 |
1.88 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
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So, when comparing Tomori to some of Chelsea’s current central defenders, the English defender clearly excels in defensive actions over the French pair, completing more tackles, more blocks, and more interceptions per 90. Considering the sheer volume of defending the Blues had to do last term, that’s rather impressive.
Being the smallest of the three, standing at 6 foot 1, Tomori does win fewer aerial duels compared to Disasi, who stands at 6 foot 3, and Badiashile, who stands at 6 foot 4.
All three of the defenders average similar pass completions, all within the 90% spectrum, with Disasi averaging 90% on the dot, Tomori averaging 90.7% and Badiashile averaging 90.8%. In this regard, clearly they are similar.
Like their pass completion, the trios’ progressive passing metrics are also fairly similar, Tomori averaging the least with 2.91 progressive passes per 90, Disasi averaging 3.90, and Badiashile averaging 3.09.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
The Milan star does bring more goal threat, which has to be said is impressive considering he is the smallest of the trio, and winning the fewest aerials per 90.
That said, the main thing Chelsea could do with, that Tomori brings in abundance, is recovery speed, especially with the way Maresca likes to play, being aggressive out of possession, and dealing with balls in behind the backline at times.
It’s fair to say there may be a tinge of regret in how this sale panned out.
