Fikayo Tomori Rejects Late Switch to West Ham

Chelsea centre back Fikayo Tomori rejected the chance to join West Ham United on loan just minutes before the transfer window shut.

Thiago Silva's move to Stamford Bridge has left Frank Lampard with five centre-back options to choose between, so it was always expected that one defender would be allowed to leave before Monday's deadline.

Tomori had been close to Everton earlier in the window, but Antonio Rüdiger's tumble down the pecking order saw the German move closer to the exit door, but as noted by The Telegraph, Rüdiger's refusal to sign a one-year contract extension saw any potential move break down.

Chelsea were not prepared to loan him out and allow Rüdiger to enter the final year of his contract upon his return, meaning a permanent sale was their only option, but no suitors came forward with offers.

That left Tomori pushing for a loan exit to guarantee himself regular game time for the remainder of the season, but Sky Sports News state that the Englishman actually rejected the chance to move to West Ham.

Tomori is believed to have decided he would prefer to stay and fight for his place at the Bridge, and at this point, he is still thought to be ahead of Rüdiger in the pecking order.

It was the inability to offload fringe players like Rüdiger, Marcos Alonso and Emerson which left Chelsea's hands tied towards the end of the window.

The Blues had hoped to raise enough money to lodge an offer for West Ham's Declan Rice, and there were also suggestions that Chelsea could rival Arsenal's £45m bid for Thomas Partey, but the Blues simply could not raise the extra funds.

Some money was saved by Ruben Loftus-Cheek's loan move to Fulham, although Chelsea agreed to cover a portion of the midfielder's wages in order to help him find a move.

Lampard has not lost faith in Loftus-Cheek but is well aware of the 24-year-old's need for regular minutes as he attempts to bounce back from a serious Achilles injury, so the club went the extra mile to ensure he could find a move.

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