Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham on a four-year contract.
The defender completed a medical earlier this week and will arrive at Stamford Bridge on a free transfer when his contract with Fulham officially expires at the end of June.
Tosin rejected several new contract offers at Craven Cottage before agreeing to become the first signing under new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
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Newcastle had entered talks and Manchester United were also understood to be admirers, but Chelsea are said to have offered better personal conditions to win the race for his signature.
After signing for the Blues, Tosin said: “Chelsea is a huge club and this is a full-circle moment for me. I was born three miles away from Stamford Bridge and made my professional debut there.
“I’m very excited and looking forward to helping push the club in the direction we want to go.”
Tosin’s height and ability on the ball caught Chelsea’s attention and with veteran Thiago Silva departing the club this summer, a gap in the squad at centre-back opened up.
The 26-year-old made 20 appearances for Fulham in the Premier League during the 2023/24 campaign, scoring two goals and helping his former side to a 13th-place finish.
“As a new chapter awaits, I’d just like to thank everyone at Fulham Football Club for the last four years,” Tosin posted on social media on Thursday ahead of his move.
“Together with the manager, staff, my team-mates and supporters, we made some great memories that I’ll always hold fondly. I wish you all the best in the future.”
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Should Tosin have been considered for England?
Sky Sports News’ Daniel Samson
Tosin produced the best form of his career last season and was arguably one of the main factors behind Fulham staving off any relegation fears throughout the campaign.
His performances in the surprise wins over Manchester United and Brighton were hugely influential, and he is continuing what should be seen as a strong turnaround in his status at Craven Cottage, having appeared to be heading for Monaco last summer.
Tosin was an England youth international at U16, U17, U18 and U19 levels and once one of Manchester City’s brightest prospects, talked up by Pep Guardiola. At Fulham, he was integral to two promotion seasons and their survival in the top flight under Marco Silva.
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Should Tosin have been considered by England manager Gareth Southgate for Euro 2024?
The 26-year-old has never had a senior call-up for England and is not normally in the conversation for Gareth Southgate’s squads.
Perhaps he should have been part of his plans in Germany, given he outperformed the likes of Marc Guehi, Lewis Dunk and Ezri Konsa in several important statistical metrics in the Premier League – even Manchester City’s John Stones in some aspects.
Tosin won more defensive duels (61.94 per cent), interceptions per 90 minutes (1.39) and clearances per 90 minutes (4.45) than all of them, and was behind only Harry Maguire (2.95) and James Tarkowski (2.82) for headed clearances per 90 minutes (2.62) in the Premier League among those to have played more than four games.
There are a couple of obvious skews in the data; the further down the league your team is, the more likely you are to be doing more defending in games, and Fulham have been competing in the bottom half all season.
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That will be among the reasons why Everton’s centre-backs Tarkowski (1.46) and Jarrad Branthwaite (1.44) score more highly than any of England’s centre-backs on interceptions per 90 – but Tosin was only just behind on 1.39.
There is also the fact that Tosin spent the first half of the season out injured with a groin problem and made 20 Premier League appearances since, which condenses and spikes his data, while the likes of Guehi, Dunk, Konsa and the two Everton lads have played more than 20 games.
Apart from Stones and Guehi, Tosin conceded the fewest fouls out of the England pool too at just 0.56 per game.
When does the summer transfer window open and close?
The 2024 summer transfer window in the Premier League officially opens on Friday June 14 – the same day that Euro 2024 starts.
The window will close on August 30 at 11pm UK time in England and at midnight in Scotland.
The Premier League has brought forward Deadline Day to link up with the other major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.