Of all the players to have come to the fore under Frank Lampard, Fikayo Tomori has perhaps had the most impressive rise.
He started off almost as an afterthought with Lampard at Derby last season, but has ended up just a season later as a regular starter for Chelsea.
He’s just signed a new contract, and in his press conference today, Lampard was asked about Tomori’s progress, both as a player and a personality.
Nizaar Kinsella of Goal.com had the manager’s full quotes on the defender:
Lampard on Tomori's new deal: "He has come a long way & it is all his own doing. From the moment he came to Derby he has shown work ethic. The want an desire to improve himself. He was quite quiet when he came to Derby but he is not quiet now." Adds, he had full trust in him #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) December 13, 2019
It’s interesting to hear him note that Tomori “isn’t quiet” anymore. It’s vital for a defender to be vocal and assertive, and a youngster coming into a team full of far more experienced professionals needed to develop that part of his character too.
Hopefully our entire back line will benefit from the youngster’s development into a more charismatic and dominant force in the centre of defence.