Derby County signed Fikayo Tomori on loan from Chelsea earlier this month.
New Derby County loan signing Fikayo Tomori has shown his potential as a defender, as no player in the Championship has averaged more interceptions per game than the youngster (Whoscored).
Tomori joined Derby on loan from Premier League title challengers Chelsea, having previously worked closely with Rams boss Frank Lampard’s number two Jody Morris in the Blues’ academy.
The Rams brought in Tomori on a season-long loan deal, and he was immediately thrust into the starting eleven alongside Richard Keogh for the home game against Leeds – a match Derby lost 4-1.
But despite the drubbing by Marcelo Bielsa’s men, many felt Tomori was a standout and since then he has grown in stature, helping the team to successive 2-0 home victories over Ipswich Town and Preston North End.
Tomori’s reading of the game is decent and he has explosive pace for a central defender, allowing him to track runners easily and cut out potentially dangerous passes – evident by a Championship best 3.8 interceptions per game.
Aside from possessing pace and awareness, the 20-year-old defender is physically strong. With an ability to pass out from the back, the Chelsea loanee could convert into a potential holding midfield player – an option Derby may eexercise with when Curtis Davies returns to action following injury. With Derby struggling to field a natural holding player (George Evans is injured and Tom Huddlestone out of the picture), Tomori may become the next best option.
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