The idea of Tammy Abraham returning to Aston Villa has been mooted before but more out of speculation than fact. During the previous times that the prospect had been raised, one could only really connect the dots very loosely as Villa fans interpreted a sustained spell on the Chelsea bench as Thomas Tuchel’s way of saying that the striker doesn’t have a future with the Stamford Bridge club.
As it turns out, that seemed to be exactly what the Chelsea boss was indicating after the Telegraph reported on 28th April that the Blues will accept £40 million for the 23-year-old in the summer. Indeed, it seems for all intents and purposes that Abraham will leave Stamford Bridge after the 2020/2021 season concludes now that he finds himself well down the pecking order.
Chelsea will listen to bids of around £40million for Tammy Abraham with Olivier Giroud also poised to leave as part of summer striker overhaul #cfc https://t.co/LZb3HeHQwz
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) April 28, 2021
It’s not just in the Premier League where the England international is battling to break into the squad but also Europe. That is less surprising as the latest UEFA Champions League odds price Chelsea at just 10/3 to win the competition, but it does go to show that Tuchel has very little confidence in the striker being the man to score the goals that the Blues need so crucially this season if they are to win any silverware.
“He is their top goalscorer!”
The Soccer Saturday panel can’t understand why Tammy Abraham isn’t getting any game-time at Chelsea… pic.twitter.com/oNOTWOIHhw
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 24, 2021
Now that this news has been confirmed, attention will turn to where Abraham will go next. Naturally, Villa will be one of the clubs heavily linked with the 23-year-old and supporters should brace themselves now for a summer where Abraham is mentioned in most transfer rumours concerning the club.
As for the possibility of it happening, it’s hard to say for sure but in many respects, there’s no reason why it couldn’t happen. Indeed, Villa have the money to do a deal and Abraham has insisted that he won’t go out on loan again given that he wants to settle down at a club and build a legacy. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why Villa Park will be such a tempting destination for Abraham as he has already put down roots at the club during his initial loan spell.
???? ???? ??? against West Brom at Villa Park…
??’: @ConorHourihane ?
??’: @TammyAbraham ?#AVLWBA pic.twitter.com/4g1Zo0V8w7— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 24, 2021
On top of that, there won’t be an adjustment period of any real significance after the striker netted 26 goals in 40 starts for Villa during their promotion-winning season. In fact, you can easily picture a scenario where Abraham is welcomed back to the club with wide-open arms.
In reality, this is a very doable transfer for all the parties involved. What it will come down to is whether Dean Smith can use both Abraham and Ollie Watkins in the same team. Watkins has enjoyed a hugely successful debut season in the Premier League and has to date scored double Abraham’s six league goals this season. Most Villa and indeed England fans would agree that a return of 12 goals in a player’s first go in the English top-flight constitutes a very successful return, which undoubtedly means that Watkins deserves to keep the shirt going into next season.
As things stand, Smith prefers a 4-3-3 formation with Watkins paying in the middle of the front three. Obviously, this system can change to a classic 4-4-2 or a robust 4-4-1-1 should the situation dictate it must but in general, Smith goes with the one proven goalscorer upfront.
On this evidence, it’s hard to see how a desperate-for-games Abraham would walk into the Villa starting XI but at just £40 million, the temptation to buy a former Villa favourite may be too much for the club to pass up.
