Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino may not have had immediate results with the club despite spending an eye-watering £452m in the summer transfer window.
The performances against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City prior to the international break indicated that they were improving, however if the Argentine can count on utilising a full-strength squad, they could challenge for the European places.
With the January window fast approaching, could he even continue his rebuild by luring another few players to the Premier League?
Considering how much the Blues have spent since Todd Boehly took over the club in May 2022, it certainly looks likely another few million will be splurged on some of the finest talent the continent has to offer.
The latest name to be linked with a move to Stamford Bridge will be familiar to the supporters – Fikayo Tomori.
Chelsea transfer news – Fikayo Tomori
The defender broke through at Chelsea and made his debut during the 2015/16 season, yet he spent the next few years out on loan at a variety of clubs, including Derby County, Hull City and Brighton.
He featured for the first team a total of 27 times before sealing a move to AC Milan in 2020 and his form for the Italian side has been impressive, to say the least.
According to Chelsea insider Simon Phillips (via Football Transfers), the Blues may be looking to sign the player in the near future.
He said: "I am told that Fikayo Tomori has been internally discussed at the club in recent weeks as a potential option for centre back.
"I am not sure just how serious that interest is as of now, or who exactly has mentioned him. I just know that his name has come up in recent conversations at the club."
The Englishman is valued at €45.6m (£40m) according to Football Transfers and with another three and half years left on his current contract at the Italian side, the Stamford Bridge outfit could have to pay a substantial fee to lure him back to England.
Would a move work out, however? Making a return to a club for the second time doesn’t always go to plan. Just ask Romelu Lukaku.
Romelu Lukaku's second Chelsea spell in numbers
The Belgian striker joined Chelsea from Anderlecht back in 2011 as a promising young talent and during his debut campaign in England, he made 12 appearances, although he didn’t find the back of the net.
A loan spell at West Bromwich Albion in 2012/13 produced 17 league goals and another seven assists, finally proving himself and the future looked bright as he returned to Chelsea, who were now coached by José Mourinho.
Despite a few early games at the start of the season, the Portuguese allowed him to go back out on loan to Everton, before finally selling him for a fee of £28m in 2014.
The next five seasons saw him score a remarkable 113 goals for both the Toffees and Manchester United, and he was whisked away to play for Inter Milan, helping them secure their first Serie A title since 2010 during the 2020/21 campaign.
Thomas Tuchel subsequently splashed a then club-record fee of £97.5m to lure the Belgian forward back to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2021 as he looked to bolster his firepower.
He couldn’t replicate the success he enjoyed at Inter, however, scoring just 15 goals in 44 matches as the club failed to win any domestic or European prizes.
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It wasn’t exactly the return everyone anticipated and just 12 months after re-signing, he was back at Inter on a season-long loan deal.
Tomori may be enjoying some wonderful form at Milan over the previous few years, but he could end up like Lukaku if he returns to Chelsea in the coming months.
Fikayo Tomori’s statistics at AC Milan
The centre-back has helped Milan return back to the summit of Italian football as they won their first Serie A crown in 11 years during the 2021/22 campaign, while they even reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since they last won the competition in 2007.
Since joining them in 2020, the Englishman has already played over 120 times for the club, showing just how far he has come since playing at Derby County only five years ago, and journalist John Cross even claimed the defender had enjoyed a “remarkable rise” upon receiving an England call up in 2019.
51.1
70
4.8
3.5
2.1
1.6
0.9
1.5
2.3
2.5
This season, he currently ranks first among the squad for accurate passes per game (70) in Serie A, along with ranking fourth for tackles per game (1.6) and first for interceptions per game (1.5), demonstrating his effectiveness at the heart of their defence this term.
Although he is shining in the current Milan team, his stats when compared to his positional peers don’t make him stand out.
For example, he currently ranks in the top 19% for pass completion percentage per 90 (89.2%) while failing to rank in the top 15% for either interceptions, tackles or blocks per 90 and if Chelsea are going to be spending a vast sum of money, they will be wanting a player who is among the finest in their position.
Another factor to consider is just how many defenders the club currently have on their books. Although Thiago Silva may be nearing retirement, they can still call on Axel Disasi, Malang Saar, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill when they are all fit and healthy, clearly indicating that they don’t need another centre-back option at the club.
Pochettino should perhaps focus on improving areas of the squad which don’t have quite as much depth to them, such as the attacking department, instead of wasting funds on players that may not turn out as expected.
Lukaku failed to shine after returning to London following a spell away and while Tomori has been in stellar form for Milan of late, he could potentially run the risk of destroying all his hard work over the last few years.
