While the start of the 2020/21 campaign has been encouraging for Chelsea, there is one thing which has disappointed some supporters.
That is the fact that 22-year-old centre-back Fikayo Tomori appears to have been frozen out of the matchday squad.
The Blues are oversubscribed at the central defensive position right now, with five choices for Frank Lampard in the position.
Tomori has to battle Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger for a spot in the side.
And so far, the England international has been unable to get significant minutes in what has been a tough 2020 for him.
Since the turn of the year, Tomori has made just two Premier League appearances, and this season it has just been one substitute showing.
The centre-back almost made the move away from the Blues in the summer on loan, once a deal for Rudiger was no longer on the table.
Things were all in place for Tomori to head to West Ham for the 2020/21 campaign, however it was the defender who refused the move at the last minute.
Instead, Tomori decided to stay with the Blues and fight for a place, telling the Chelsea Mike’d Up podcast: “I had a plan going into this season going off the back of last season.
“Obviously, in football, things change so quickly so I wanted to make sure whatever decision I made was really thought out and to try and do what’s best for me.
“I made the decision in the end to stay, to improve more, get some more games, gain some more experience and try and get to the levels I was at last season.”
This time last year, Tomori was making his England debut having made 14 appearances in all competitions for the Blues at that time.
However, things have not worked out for him this season with just 45 minutes of Premier League action and seemingly slipping down to fifth-choice centre-back.
Lampard has maintained that Tomori is part of his plans, however, saying: “Fikayo is our contracted player. We know that West Ham were interested.
"Fikayo took the decision not to go and that’s well within his rights. That had no bearing on my thoughts at all. He’s still a developing player.
“When I say developing, he’s had a great two years. He got himself in the England team, was one of the best defenders in the Championship and then played 20-plus games for Chelsea.
"It’s normal for a young player sometimes, in a squad as competitive as ours, where there are periods where you maybe aren’t playing every week.
“I’ve got no problem with Fikayo. I rely on him. That’s clear from when I took him to Derby and how I handled him last year. He’s been a fantastic player for me.
"He trains very well and when he gets his opportunity, like he had when he came on against Liverpool and in the Carabao Cup, it’s important he takes them.”
But with a real lack of game time and the fact that Chelsea have started to look very defensively secure with a partnership of Thiago Silva and Zouma.
Rudiger, who looked the most likely to leave in the summer, has played his way back into Lampard’s thinking and is back-up with Christensen.
It leaves Tomori in a difficult spot, where the most likely situation is a short-term exit this January.
Chelsea will be keen for him to find a Premier League loan, while the player himself is not against a move abroad if suitable.
For Tomori, it will all be about getting some game time and developing to be a future Chelsea star.
If Rudiger is not sold, or Christensen moved on, then Tomori must be let go to get minutes in order to develop further.
