Fikayo Tomori has been one of the key players for AC Milan this season and along with Pierre Kalulu, he has kept four clean sheets in the last four games. And he’s very happy with his move to Italy.
The defender arrived on an initial loan deal from Chelsea in January of 2021 and Milan decided to redeem him the following summer. For both parties, it has been a very successful adventure thus far and a trophy might not be far away.
In an interview with The Guardian, Tomori shared his thoughts on life in Italy and the current Scudetto race. He also spoke about the racial abuse he and Mike Maignan received during the game against Cagliari just before the break.
On life in Italy…
“I always saw myself one day living in another country,” says Tomori, “whether that was for football or just in life. I always wanted to learn a new language. At home, my parents were from Nigeria, so they spoke Yoruba to me, and obviously at school you learn languages, but I came to Italy determined to learn Italian. Even if I was only going to be here on loan six months, I wanted to at least be able to know the present tense.”
On the difference between Serie A and Premier League…
“In England, it’s more like basketball. Everything’s end-to-end, there’s more intensity, a lot more happens reactively. In Italy it’s more like American football. It’s like you have ‘plays’. When the ball’s here, I need to be here. When the ball goes, I know I have to be two metres over in that direction, or be looking for this particular player …
On Maldini…
“The other day he was talking to us about the speed of the ball moving through the back and how to work on our body position. As defenders, you want to make sure you’re impressing him.”
On missing out on an England call-up…
“I just have to make sure I’m playing at a high level. And then when I do get called on, to make sure I’m ready. I have to focus on what I’m doing here at Milan first and foremost.”
On the racial abuse against Cagliari…
“Obviously that was not a good moment. But all the players helped me to get away from the situation. Everyone knew what was going on. I spoke to the referee and since then everyone’s been very supportive and tried to give me as much support as possible, which was great. The steps to try and stop this is what we need to do next. It was a sad moment for me and Mike as well but the club were very supportive and they gave a reaction to it very quickly.”
On the Scudetto…
“We’re in a good position but we’re taking it game by game. Hopefully at the end we have something to celebrate, and the manager’s mum can let him rest.”
Milan have just eight games remaining of the season and with a three-point advantage, everything is in their own hands. It will be an exciting but also a nerve-racking period for the fans, who have been waiting for the Scudetto for over ten years now.
When the England coach chose Maguire as a central defender over Tomori, we immediately knew, the low standard of England’s defense in the World Cup…
Pretty sad that tomori not called up for his flag
Too bad Tomori didn’t choose to play for Canada.