Why Everton should complete a loan deal for Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori
According to Sky Sports, Fikayo Tomori is on his way to Everton on a season-long loan deal. The young defender has struggled for game time after a bright start to the season and could look for opportunities elsewhere after a plethora of summer arrivals at Chelsea.
Profile
Fikayo Tomori is a 22-year-old English centre-back who plays for Chelsea. He started his youth career at Chelsea’s academy in 2005 and progressed through the youth ranks. It wasn’t until 2016 that he got to make his debut for the first-team.
He was sent on loan in the following seasons to Brighton, Hull City and Derby County. However, it was at Derby County that he truly showed his potential under Frank Lampard, who was the Derby manager then.
With a transfer ban on Chelsea, Tomori along with a few others were given ample first-team opportunities. He enjoyed a good run of form but ultimately fizzled away in the second half of the season, thereby making just 22 appearances.
Do Everton need Tomori?
Last season, Everton finished 12th with a negative goal difference of 12 (source – Transfermarkt). Now, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that the defence was in shambles. Conceding 56 goals over 38 league outings isn’t something they should be doing.
Michael Keane had a resurgence of sorts and Mason Holgate is still too young to be leading the backline. Yerry Mina, too, didn’t provide anything of note as the club kept on shipping goals.
In Fikayo Tomori, Everton will have a young yet experienced Premier League player who just needs more game time. He has shown glimpses of promise in the limited chances he has received at Chelsea and can be a solid addition to their defence after they completed a midfield revamp by completing the signings of James Rodriguez, Allan and Doucoure.
Read more
- Why Everton offering Michael Keane a new deal is a sensible decision
- Why Everton must send Moise Kean back to Italy on loan
Verdict
After such an outlay on the 3 midfielders, a loan deal for a fairly solid Premier League defender seems like a good option for Carlo Ancelotti and Everton. Tomori is likely to get a starting role alongside Michael Keane as he looks like a better option than Holgate or Mina.
Chelsea shouldn’t hesitate to send the youngster out for some first-team experience after the arrival of Thiago Silva. In a year’s time, they can reassess the situation and act accordingly.
