Fikayo Tomori speaks out on Chelsea future and reveals influence of Paolo Maldini at AC Milan
Fikayo Tomori says he’s still in the dark over his Chelsea future but is greatly ‘enjoying’ his time on loan at AC Milan, where he has been learning and taking inspiration from club legend Paolo Maldini.
The 23-year-old centre-back badly struggled for regular minutes in the first half of Chelsea’s campaign under Frank Lampard and was sent to the San Siro for the remainder of the season as a means of boosting his game-time.
Milan technical director Maldini, widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of the game, played a key role in capturing Tomori and the England international and has repaid his faith with a series of outstanding displays in Italy.
Impressive performances against Roma, Napoli and Manchester United over the last month have ‘brought the personality of a potential champion into focus’, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, and the Serie A giants are reportedly keen to sign him outright for £24million this summer.
On what the future holds, Tomori told The Times: ‘At the moment, I’m enjoying being in Milan, playing games and having this experience.
‘Whether I’m going to stay here longer or not I don’t know. I try not to think that far ahead.
‘The people who need to think that far ahead will do that and whatever needs to be done will be done.
‘There’s still a long way to go in the season but I know that I have it in me to do it.
‘Mentally, I was ready to do it and if the opportunity comes at Chelsea, or here, or at another club, or wherever it may be, I’m prepared for it and can learn a lot from it, so it’s an exciting time for myself.’
Tomori – who recently revealed he hadn’t spoken with new Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel – says it fills him with enormous ‘pride’ to represent a club boasting such an incredible list of former players.
‘Before I came here I spoke to Paolo Maldini,’ he added.
‘Obviously I knew it was a big club and he said it was a big club, but when I arrived and went to the museum at Casa Milan, and saw all the Ballons d’Or here, the pictures of the greats who have gone before, then the seven Champions League trophies, you really do feel it… Like, wow.
‘When I go to the training ground and see the pictures and names on the wall of people who have set records, like [Andriy] Shevchenko, Maldini, Kaka and [Clarence] Seedorf, and I’m thinking that they’ve all been here, they’ve all sat in these changing rooms, played on these pitches.
‘All those moments fill you with pride. You breathe it in.’
On Maldini’s influence, Tomori went on: ‘You feel his presence.
‘As much as I’m playing for myself and for the team and the manager, I want to impress him.
‘It’s like if you were an attacker and one day Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi was your sporting director and saying these words for you. It’s crazy.
‘Before every game, he talks and says come on and says well done after. If I haven’t played well he’s still there saying well done.’
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