Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham has been touted with a move to Arsenal this summer in a deal worth £40million.
The Englishman has always been considered a goal threat and has even produced considerable numbers over the course of his short career, but for one reason or another, it simply hasn’t worked for him under the new Blues boss, Thomas Tuchel.
After falling behind in the pecking order to Timo Werner, Olivier Giroud and Kai Havertz, Abraham was left with limited opportunities towards the end of last season.
Even though Giroud has since moved onto AC Milan for £2m, Tuchel is looking to add another striker to his ranks and Borussia Dortmund star, Erling Haaland, is his number one target.
That pretty much means Abraham is out of the Chelsea picture, thus a move away is probably what’s best for his career.
A fee of £40m might seem a little steep for Arsenal’s liking, but as he is a boyhood fan of the club, and because he’s previously highlighted his lofty ambitions of getting to the same level as Thierry Henry in his career, perhaps the move is one worth pursuing.
“To be honest I was an Arsenal fan,” Abraham said back in 2017, as per Eurosport.
“When you’re young and you choose who to support, if it’s a family thing, it’s a family thing. Luckily for me, it was a family thing, so it wasn’t really a problem at Chelsea.
“Someone I looked up to was Thierry Henry. His variations of finishing, his movement, the way he dribbles.
“Someone like that has a key impact on me. I would love to be as big as him and maybe even better.”
He may not be on the level as Arsenal’s king once was, but Abraham doesn’t lack ability – not by any stretch of the imagination.
In fact, his omission from Tuchel’s squad could even be seen as a bit harsh, especially when you consider his career goalscoring record. He’s netted 30 times in 82 appearances for the Blues, which admittedly is hardly prolific, but it’s certainly not diminishable, either.
Meanwhile, he scored 26 goals in 48 games for Bristol City, and led Aston Villa’s promotion charge in 2018/2019, scoring another 26 goals in eight less matches that season.
With that in mind, Abraham also offers something different to this current Gunners attack.
He might not be as good on the ball as, say, Alexandre Lacazette, but his height, heading ability, and athleticism will help Mikel Arteta’s side, especially if Arsenal’s boss persists on launching crosses into the box as he did last season.
And to add to that, the 23-year-old is a homegrown talent who still has a lot of time to improve.
It’s definitely a risk but perhaps one worth taking, and if Abraham turns out to be half as good as his boyhood hero Henry, then Arsenal can say it’s money well spent.
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