Fikayo Tomori arrived at Milan in January 2021 on loan with an option to buy. He was one of the many young players from Cobham who had failed to break through into the first team for various reasons, despite having considerable potential. And so Chelsea gave him to Milan on very favourable terms. In Italy, the Englishman went from 0 to 100, becoming one of the key men in the magnificent Scudetto-winning campaign of 2022.
From there, a new decline began. This time, it was much more gradual, but constant. This was also because Milan have been in continuous decline since winning the Scudetto. The bottom was reached this summer: out of the squad because he was no longer part of Amorim's technical project. A quiet transfer market, with little interest. From Italian champion to an unwanted player left out of the squad, with no interesting offers for either him or Milan. Throughout all of this, he never said a single word out of place, despite his contract expiring in June 2027. Towards the end of the summer, there seemed to be a concrete possibility of a move to Fulham, but nothing came of it.
Then, surprisingly, the rise began: first reinstated, then starting against Salzburg. A few minutes against Atalanta. Starts against Bournemouth and Udinese, even playing as a wide midfielder, with defensive duties on top of that, and probably a third consecutive appearance, which should come against Bologna tomorrow afternoon at San Siro.
In fact, Tomori's role remains to be determined, whether as one of the three defenders, a full-back or once again as a wide midfielder, but it is now clear that the English centre-back has found his way into Amorim's good books. This is certainly due to the numbers available and the injuries, but it was still not a given that the coach would offer him the chance to play as a wide midfielder in Udine and that he would accept, subsequently putting in a performance full of enthusiasm and running. Perhaps there was a little confusion, but physically, he was once again performing at a high level. He even came close to providing a sensational assist with a fine cross from the byline: had Pulisic not got in Bartesaghi's way in front of an open goal, we would now be talking about a Tomori riding high in the media spotlight as well.
What could a situation like this mean for Tomori?
It means that the player has behaved like a professional and placed himself entirely at the club's service, something that certainly cannot be taken for granted given the treatment he received over the summer. It also means that now, having established the initial understanding between the coach and the team, the atmosphere at Milanello is more positive than anyone could have expected. So much so that Tomori is willing to play as a wide midfielder in an asymmetrical and entirely unprecedented 4-4-2 formation.
How long will this harmony last? It is difficult to say, but during a difficult period marked by an injury crisis, it is definitely a positive thing that Amorim can get so much out of anyone. Even those he had discarded over the summer. This was relayed via Milan News.
