If Chelsea knew how good Fikayo Tomori was going to become, it is likely that he would never have been sold by the club to AC Milan.
Tomori broke into the first team picture during Frank Lampard’s first tenure in charge, benefitting from the fact that Chelsea were under a transfer embargo at the time.
Since then, the Blues have had to watch Tomori put in starring performances in the Champions League, a competition they only returned to this season.
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The England defender has been afforded the chance to be a regular in Serie A for AC Milan, whilst also getting a taste of an extremely different style of football in Italy.
Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan is seen during the SERIE A 2025/
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Fikayo Tomori says approach to training is biggest difference between Chelsea and AC Milan
He has explained to BBC Sport that training at Chelsea was based around the physical side of the game, whereas in Italy they take a more tactical approach to their preparation.
He said: “It’s a different way of life, but the biggest difference is how we train. In Italy it’s a lot more focus-based in terms of how we’ll play, whereas in England training can be more physical and intense.
“When I was growing up there was a stereotype that English players didn’t go abroad, but there’s quite a few now, which shows we can go abroad and adapt to a different way of living too.”
Tomori is currently on 194 appearances for AC Milan, after making just 27 for the Chelsea first team.
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
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Chelsea have shown interest in re-signing Tomori
The defender’s strong performances have previously seen Tomori be linked with a move back to Chelsea since his departure.
Chelsea need to make room before they can sign another centre-back. Who are you getting rid of?
Levi Colwill is definitely untouchable ❌
Chelsea’s list of first-team centre-backs
Levi Colwill
Wesley Fofana
Trevoh Chalobah
Benoit Badiashile
Tosin Adarabioyo
Josh Acheampong
Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's goal with teammate Wesley Fofana
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Centre-back is a position that Chelsea have not got completely sorted yet, and some of their issues have been exposed since the injury to Levi Colwill.
The Blues have been unable to rely on the fitness of Wesley Fofana over a prolonged period of time, as well as Benoit Badiashile alongside him.
Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo have come in for criticism over various points of the season, with Chelsea needing to address this issue in future transfer windows.
They could certainly do worse than biting the bullet and bringing Tomori back.
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