Tammy Abraham quickly demonstrated that he is ready for top-tier football in his first loan spell at Bristol City. He may get his chance in the Premier League with newly-promoted Brighton & Hove Albion.
If Chelsea were in desperate need of another striker, Tammy Abraham would be able to step in and fill the role admirably, if not completely. The Chelsea academy graduate scored 23 goals in his first season of senior football. He received Bristol City’s player of the year after his prolific output kept the Robins out of League One.
Chelsea have plenty of options ahead of Abraham. They have the opportunity to develop Abraham on loan for another season. He demonstrated beyond any doubt that he needs first division football, either in England or another top tier club in Europe. Brighton & Hove Albion, playing in the top tier for the first time since 1983, want Abraham to power their campaign to avoid a yo-yo back to the Championship.
Abraham and Brighton’s leading scorer, Glenn Murray, both scored 23 goals this season in the Championship. The two were evenly matched statistically, and Murray had significantly more support from his teammates’ creation and production. However, as similar as the two players were in output, they are separated by 14 years. Abraham is 19 years old, and Murray is 33.
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Tammy Abraham will inject some much needed youth – and the pace and vigour that goes with it – to an older Brighton side. Three of Brighton’s top scorers were over 28 years old. Among the usual starting XI, no player was under 25 and three were in their 30s.
Brighton may struggle with the increased pace and movement of the Premier League. They enter the league with an older squad and a club that is 30 years removed from the top flight. Abraham is already a proven scorer, on par with Brighton’s best, but with more potential as he is in the earliest stages of his career.
Chelsea will have many clubs offering to take Tammy Abraham for the season. Along with Brighton, Premier League returnee Newcastle are also in the mix. Nor is Abraham the only young Blue who may spend time at either club. Fikayo Tomori played on loan at Brighton last season and may return, given his need for experience and Chelsea’s extreme depth at centre-back. Ruben Loftus-Cheek may finally go on loan to garner some much overdue Premier League playing time.
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Tammy Abraham is one of the most valuable players in Chelsea’s loan system. The club cannot afford any missteps – or backwards steps – in his progression. One year on loan to a Premier League club will put him in position to debut at Stamford Bridge in the 2018/19 season.