According to The Sun, West Ham United and Chelsea had agreed to terms of a loan move for England international centre-back Fikayo Tomori last night, but he changed his mind 10 minutes to the transfer deadline.
The London clubs agreed to a loan fee and the division of wages, and the deal was on the brink of going through.
However, the 22-year-old decided against leaving Chelsea for West Ham on a temporary basis, and will now look to force his way into manager Frank Lampard’s plans.
It dealt a huge blow on the Hammers transfer plans as it was too late to move for another centre-back in the EPL or outside of England by the time Tomori had a sudden change of heart.
Manager David Moyes wants a centre-back, and West Ham have only been able to sign a right-back thus far this summer, bringing in Vladimír Coufal from Slavia Prague on Friday.
They can still bring in a defender from the English Championship, with the EFL transfer window still open until Friday 16 October, and it will be interesting to see if they do.
While many West Ham fans won’t be too excited if that happens, the fact that Jarrod Bowen hit the ground running after arriving at the London Stadium from Hull City in January speaks volumes, and there are quality players in the Championship without a doubt.
