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Former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori departed Stamford Bridge for the San Siro where he now plies his trade with AC Milan. However, legendary Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given believes the 24-year-old should have been given more time to flourish with the Blues.
Notably, Tomori worked alongside Given at Derby County, where the towering centre-back had an impressive season. This got him into the Blues first-team under manager Frank Lampard, but he failed to retain a position after Thomas Tuchel took over the reins.
According to Given, who spoke to TalkSPORT (via InsideFutbol), some more game time would have been helpful for both Tomori and the Blues:
“I worked with Fikayo at Derby, actually. I think he was our Player of the Season while he was there. Obviously, him and Mason Mount were absolutely brilliant that year. And he’s gone on from there, obviously."
He added:
“He went back to Chelsea, maybe he should have had more game time at Chelsea. And the players who left the club, you’d think that had they kept on Tomori he might’ve been a good fit for Chelsea. But take nothing away from him, he’s gone to a different country, one big club in Milan and it’s not an easy task."
Given further noted:
“You see he scored at the weekend for them. He’s really at the top of his game, leading into the World Cup next month, so you’d like to think that he’s done enough to make it into the World Cup squad.”
After leaving Stamford Bridge, Fikayo Tomori went on to guide Milan to an impressive Scudetto after a brilliant Serie A campaign last season. So far, the defender has played 73 games for the Italian giants and remains a vital part of their defensive structure.
Chelsea prepare contract extension for Mason Mount: Reports
While Tomori left Stamford Bridge for other pastures, his fellow academy graduate Mason Mount remained with the Blues. Having impressed the Boehly-Clearlake consortium with his performances, there are now talks of a contract extension for the English midfielder. Formal discussions have now begun, according to Standard's Nizaar Kinsella.
Mount is now in the final two years of his current deal with the English powerhouse, and there is reported optimism about reaching a new deal in due course. Having tied exciting full-back Reece James to a six-year contract, the Blues will be hoping they can repeat the process with Mount.
