Tammy Abraham believes he’s ready to lead the line for Chelsea in the Premier League next season, if the club need him.
The young striker has impressed on loan at Aston Villa this year, scoring 26 goals in the Championship and helping them to eventual promotion through the play-offs.
A transfer embargo until January 2020 means Chelsea will be prohibited from signing any new players until the following summer, which manager Maurizio Sarri has stressed will heavily impact their campaign. With Eden Hazard also likely to be on his way out, it could spark the need for fresh talent to step up from their sizeable youth squad.
Speaking moments at Wembley on Monday moments after Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over Derby in the play-off final, Abraham was happy to admit he would commit himself to the Blues if asked, despite spending three seasons out on loan.
“If Chelsea say they need me there, I will put my 100 per cent in,” he said confidently, “I am still young, I am still improving. The aim is to be at the highest level and playing the best football.
“A team like Chelsea is always difficult because they have got world class players. It is always going to be difficult to bring in youngsters and bring in people like myself - it is a big role. But for me, it is about believing in myself and just keep doing what I do.”
With goals in abundance, Abraham’s stock has been high all season, and the 21-year-old admitted he came very close to a Premier League switch in January that he rejected at the last minute, deciding to stick around at Villa Park.
“It looked like I was going to Wolves,” he said. “I think certain situations happened with the FA, something about playing for three teams in one year or something like that… but the coach spoke to me he said: ‘Listen, stay here, we believe in you, the boys believe in you, the fans believe in you and we’ll get promoted’. I am glad I did.
“It wasn’t my first choice to come to the Championship, but I don’t look back on it (badly). It has been a fantastic year for me and the boys as well, and to clinch it off we got promoted.”
After a dramatic win against Derby which Abraham says is a “dream” come true, the summer ahead is likely to come with more twists, turns and transfer speculation over the forward’s immediate future. Many watchful Premier League eyes will have his name on a list of potential targets.
Ultimately though for Villa fans, he is not ruling out wearing claret and blue again next season.
“I love being here. It is a massive club. It is an honour to wear the badge, so I am proud,” he said. “I just need to enjoy my night with the boys before I think about the future. I have got the [under-21] Euros coming up as well so I have to focus on that. You can never say never. You never know what could happen.”
