Could Fikayo Tomori become Chelsea’s next great transfer regret?

From being surplus to requirements in London to a star at AC Milan, could Tomori emulate fellow Chelsea rejects Lukaku & De Bruyne?

The perks of having a billionaire owner mean no player is out of reach, no matter who they are or how much they may cost. For Chelsea, this has transformed them back into an English heavyweight. 18 trophies, including four Premier League titles and the Champions League, have come since Roman Abramovich’s takeover.

So perhaps the pros still outweigh the cons in this case?

A downside towards Abramovich’s mega-spending over the years, however, is the need for immediate results. Nobody is untouchable, as a club legend like Frank Lampard recently found out, and patience is unfortunately limited.

This, to some extent at least, has affected the young stars of tomorrow at Stamford Bridge. It’s led to some hasty decisions from the higher-ups and backfired on the club completely years later.

Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Mohamed Salah are perhaps the biggest Chelsea rejects that made it big elsewhere.

In 2014, Chelsea had Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku. 🔵

Is this the best front 4 that never was? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/UC5d0AsrHr

— Football Tweet (@Football__Tweet) May 20, 2020

Just imagine if Chelsea showed a little patience and gave these players more chances? Would there have been a need to spend €54m on a misfiring Timo Werner? Or how about the €66m spent on signing Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid in 2017? They could already have had proven Premier League performers with years of experience under their belts.

So instead of fretting about how to get the best out of their struggling summer signings this season, the focus could have instead been on challenging Manchester City for the Premier League.

The latest young talent in danger of slipping out of the net is now Fikayo Tomori.

Why Tomori can be the next Blues regret

The Blues allowed the out-of-favor defender to join AC Milan on loan until June and included a €28m buy option as part of the deal. Should the Italian club take this option, Chelsea could live to regret it.

Tomori, who only had 45 minutes of Premier League football before his January exit, has won over doubters in Milan.

The 23-year-old, as we’ve seen with De Bruyne in the past, has thrived away from Chelsea and is quickly becoming an essential member of the Rossoneri. In fact, he has started in three of the club’s last four league games.

According to Gazetta dello Sport, Tomori has impressed Milan coach Stefano Pioli at how easily he has broken into the line-up and adapted to Serie A, a league renowned for placing a high value on defenders – perhaps more than any other league.

Despite an initial reluctance to activate his €28m buy option, Milan could reconsider that stance. And if Tomori progresses and becomes the top defender he was once tipped to become, his market value will grow.

Fikayo Tomori to Gazzetta: “Staying at AC Milan or coming back at Chelsea in June? It's not just my decision… I enjoy the moment, I'm glad to be here. I don't think about the future. I like Milano and I like Italy, I feel at home at AC Milan”. 🔴 #CFC #ACMilan

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 30, 2021

It’s happened before with Lukaku, who left Chelsea in 2014 for just €35m and is now valued at €90m according to transfermarkt, so why can’t it happen with Tomari in a few years time?

Chelsea could live to regret this one.