Why a new deal for Tomori is a step in the right direction for Chelsea

According to BBC, young defender Fikayo Tomori has signed a new long-term deal with Chelsea.

Tomori is one of the Blues academy graduates whom Frank Lampard has promoted into the first-team setup since taking over as Chelsea manager in the summer.

The young defender has repaid his manger’s faith in him by impressing in the Blues backline, making over 16 appearances from all competitions this season.

In the absence of key defender Antonio Rudiger, who was out due to injury, Tomori was handed the centre-back’s role at the beginning of the season by Lampard. He has combined well alongside French defender Kurt Zouma in the heart of Chelsea’s defence and has helped them to fourth place on the table.

It has turned out to be a breakthrough season for the 21-year old, who had spent his last season on loan at Derby County.

Tomori’s performances at Derby seems to have caught the attention of Lampard, who was his manager at Derby back then, thereby propelling him to offer the centre-back’s role to the 21-year-old.

The youngster has also had loan stints with Hull City, and Brighton and Hove Albion before making a name for himself at Chelsea.

Moreover, he never showed any signs of inexperience playing in top-flight and gelled quite easily along with Zouma, forming a formidable pair in the Blues backline.

Now with Rudiger back in the fray and Andreas Christensen vying for a starting place, Lampard has been shuffling his defence to give everyone an equal opportunity.

An exceptional tackler, Tomori has already recorded 3.3 successful tackles per game in the Champions League, which further signifies his role in the Blues squad. (Source: Whoscored).

With the likes of Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Billy Gilmour having signed new contracts, Tomori is the latest to sign a deal.

With their transfer ban being reduced to just one window after an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Chelsea can now buy and sell players in the January transfer window.

This could mean the arrival of many new faces in the Blues squad, however, Tomori need not be too bothered as Lampard has already made his intentions loud and clear.

Read more:

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• Why Chelsea signing Sander Berge would be a move in the right direction
• Why Chelsea targeting Elseid Hysaj would be a good move

Verdict

Tomori has already proven his credentials as a rock-solid defender whenever he has been given an opportunity.  Moreover, Chelsea rewarding the youngster with a new deal will only push him to improve more and establish himself as a regular in the days to come.

Hence, by all means, Chelsea’s new contract for Tomori seems to be a step in the right direction with an eye on the future. It also shows the kind of identity they are developing under Frank Lampard.