Chelsea should give Tammy Abraham his chance next season

Tammy Abraham has been setting the Championship alight (again). Chelsea should give the young striker his chance next season.

The question has not come up for a few years now, but many used to ask why Premier League teams did not poach the top scorer of the Championship. Not just the top six, who would understandably be hesitant, but the midtable teams and even the relegation battlers would steer clear.

This season, Tammy Abraham is scoring for fun in the Championship and not for the first time either. But many will point to his failed loan at Swansea as a reason why he is not ready for Chelsea.

But listen to any comment by John Terry and it becomes clear that Abraham has got something special about him. He deserves his chance at Chelsea next season.

Abraham struggled at Swansea and that will remain a weight on his shoulders. But that season Swansea sold their best play maker and Abraham was mostly left to his own devices when it came to scoring. He is not facing the same in the Championship currently.

Dean Smith came to Aston Villa midseason, with Terry as his assistant, and together they have brought the best out of Abraham. There is a reason why Wolverhampton wanted to take Abraham on loan. Abraham opted to remain at Villa and keep up his goal scoring.

One of the main reasons why Championship strikers tend to struggle when they get to the Premier League is the lack of service compared to the opposition defense. It is one thing to play against Championship defenders with a certain level of service. But if that service remains a constant when put against Premier League defenses, it fails.

Abraham has got all the makings of a star striker. He just needs the service to show it. That is something that often gets lost in the conversation about giving young players chances. They are judged on how they play with players below Chelsea’s level. But if that player could be put in with a strong Chelsea side things would likely change greatly.

This is not a call to make Abraham the main striker next season. But regardless of whether Olivier Giroud or Gonzalo Higuain return next season, or Chelsea sign someone new, Abraham should be the backup striker.

Simply look at Wolverhampton as a club that comes from the Championship and what they can achieve. Or Bournemouth. With a good enough manager and good enough tactics, Championship players can succeed in the Premier League. So put a Championship player in a top six squad and their quality should shine through if it is there.

Chelsea needs to start showing trust in their academy players and their loan army. A solid pipeline from either to the Chelsea first team could save the Blues tons of money and yield a world class player. Abraham has all the makings of a world class player if the environment is right. Chelsea just needs to trust in their own when surrounded by world class players. Then they just might see a promising youngster become world class themselves.