Canadian u20 International Tomori Turns Down Hammers

The deal was done, the papers were ready, Chelsea was due to collect a significantly huge loan fee, but ten minutes prior to the the transfer deadline as reported by Sky Sports, Fikayo Tomori (22) told West Ham he didn’t want to join the club.

It’s unknown why the player let things drift so long before pulling the plug just ten minutes ahead of the deadline, but West Ham will not be happy.

It’s thought that Chelsea initially preferred to keep Tomori and off-load Antonio Rudiger, but the German wasn’t prepared to move. Chelsea, top-heavy with centre-backs, then entered into loan negotiations with the Hammers over Tomori.

Tomori was capped at full level by England (against Kosovo) last season, but with new, more lenient rules on international eligibility due to be approved by FIFA, it’s still possible he could switch allegiance back to Canada at some stage. Should the 22 year-old not feature in future England squads, that may well enter his thoughts.

He is also eligible to play for Nigeria, the birthplace of both parents.

Back in 2016, Tomori captained the Canadian u20’s to a 2-1 success over England, while winning his third and final cap for the Canucks.

His decision not to move on loan to West Ham seems a strange one. He’ll likely have to scrap for minor minutes at Stamford Bridge, where he’s probably fourth choice centre-back in the pecking order.