Chelsea have lost out on some great players over the years, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah the obvious examples of elite footballers who have struggled at Stamford Bridge before establishing themselves elsewhere.
Fikayo Tomori could be the latest former Chelsea star to be included in that group, as the England international continues to star with current Italian champions AC Milan.
How much is Fikayo Tomori worth now?
Tomori was a product of the youth academy at Stamford Bridge and looked destined for big things with the Blues when he first broke into the senior team under Frank Lampard.
The centre-back had starred on loan with Derby County in the Championship the season prior, featuring 47 times in the second tier under Lampard as the Rams lost out to Aston Villa in the playoff final.
It was no surprise therefore that when Lampard got the Chelsea job, Tomori would become a regular in the Blues' starting side, making 22 appearances in all competitions in the 2019/20 campaign.
However, he struggled for game time the following season and was sent on loan to the San Siro in January 2021, quickly establishing himself as a fan favourite with the Rossoneri.
Later that summer, he would complete a £30m move to the Italian giants having established himself as a regular in Stefano Pioli's side, and he would play a huge role in them winning the Scudetto the following season, averaging an impressive 6.98 rating from WhoScored for his performances in Serie A.
Joe Cole was full of praise for Tomori on BT Sport when he returned to Stamford Bridge with Milan earlier in the season.
He said (via Eurosport): “He’s an outstanding young player and young man.
“He has taken a massive gamble going there, there’s no better place to learn your trade. That club is steeped in it, [Franco] Baresi, [Alessandro] Costacurta, [Cesare and Paulo] Maldini, their ghosts are going to echo through that club and there will be people at the club from that era and there will be pearls of wisdom he has picked up.
“The Italians are the masters of defending. He has gone there and been outstanding. He is coming back with a point to prove.”
Unsurprisingly, Tomori's performances at Milan and call-up to Gareth Southgate's England squad have seen his market value shoot up since initially leaving Chelsea.
As per Transfermarkt, the young defender's value has increased from €17m (£15m) upon his exit from London to €50m (£44m) which represents a huge 193% increase.
Therefore, his exit looks like it will be another one which Chelsea end up regretting.
