Tosin Adarabioyo has quickly settled into life at Chelsea. That much is evident from the friendships formed with new teammates and the pre-season work undertaken on the Cobham training pitches. And next up for the defender comes a trip Stateside.
It was at the start of the month that Tosin completed his move to the Blues. It came after a productive four-year spell with west London neighbours Fulham in which he built a reputation as a dominant and reliable Premier League centre-back.
Having moved just ten minutes down the road, Tosin has adapted easily to his new surroundings, with the 26-year-old particularly pleased with his start to an intensive pre-season under new head coach Enzo Maresca.
‘Pre-season has been great so far,’ Tosin explains. ‘All the training sessions and getting to know the boys have been real highlights. I’ve had a lot of fun so far.
‘Everyone has been great with me and helped me settle. It's been great getting to know all of them – and I think that's shown in that picture of the winners in the gym session earlier in the week.
‘I’ve enjoyed my first few weeks. We are working hard and learning the way the manager [Enzo Maresca] wants us to play. We have spent time focusing on that while doing the physical work.
‘It’s great because he is asking a lot of me and the other defenders. It starts with the central defenders and the goalkeeper; we are the focal point.’
The Blues squad is now just days away from crossing the Atlantic for our summer tour of the USA, during which we will play five games in five states. For Tosin, it's an opportunity to meet our global fanbase for the first time.
The centre-back is eager to face off against some tough opponents over the next few weeks with his eye on two sides in particular.
‘It will be interesting to play Manchester City out there,’ the former City youth player explained. ‘They will be our opponents in the first game of the season in the Premier League, so that will be a good test.’
'We’re also playing Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world. So that’s one to look forward to.
‘It will be a great experience to head to America. We have two and a half weeks away and five games against top opposition. It will be really useful to prepare for the season and will be great to see the supporters over in North America.’