Could Letting Go of Tammy Abraham Be a Mistake for Chelsea?
It was not long ago that Tammy Abraham was seen at Chelsea as being their future number nine. The youth team graduate made his debut for the Blues in 2016 and with Frank Lampard in charge, it was thought he would thrive under his watch.
Sadly for Abraham, his 17-year stay at Chelsea ended during the summer as he opted to make a £34 million move to Serie A side Roma. He will play for the former Blues boss Jose Mourinho in Italy in what will be the next chapter in his career.
At the age of 23, Abraham’s best years are likely to be ahead of him, so will Chelsea go on to regret the decision to cash in on one of their own products? He would not be the first player to go on to have a great career away from the club. Kevin De Bruyne and Mo Salah are just two players who have done that.
Failed To Shine Last Season Under Tuchel
Last season proved to be a difficult one for Abraham. He scored just six Premier League goals in 22 appearances. That tally was not enough for him to prove to his new manager that he should be Chelsea’s first choice upfront. Abraham will have been delighted that he was part of the Chelsea squad which won the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup. Those achievements were the perfect way to sign off from the club with.
Tuchel did publicly back the Englishman and stated there was a place for him in his squad. He may have had to wait for his opportunity though. The Chelsea predictions and previews for the season all point to the Blues getting off to a fast start and that would have been likely to be without the striker. The Blues are 5/2 with MansionBet to win the title this season. After success in the Champions League, this squad has proved they are a force for any team in Europe, not just the Premier League.
Lukaku Signing Pushed Abraham Down Pecking Order
Abraham’s exit was probably sealed when Chelsea began talks to sign Romelu Lukaku. They paid £97.5 million for the Belgium international, and they did not do that for him to sit on the bench. Lukaku, a player who left Chelsea himself in 2013 to pursue first-team opportunities, is in the best form of his career. He was Serie A’s Most Valuable Player last season after helping Inter Milan to the Serie A title.
Chelsea boss Tuchel is clearly a big fan of Lukaku and given the system his side plays (often with one sole striker), the opportunities were likely to be reduced for Abraham.
New Challenge Maybe What England International Needed
Roma were unlikely to be the only team interested in signing Abraham during the summer transfer window, however, he may have chosen the Italian club to test himself in another league. Mourinho will know Abraham’s game very well. He was the Chelsea manager between 2016 and 2018. He will have also set teams up to face the striker when he was in charge of Manchester United and Tottenham.
In many ways, Abraham will be hoping to replicate what Lukaku did by scoring lots of goals in Serie A. It would be no surprise to see him at the highest level in England again. If he does really well, he could force Chelsea into splashing out the cash to sign him back.
