Chelsea: Making the case for a Tammy Abraham loan

Chelsea’s young striker, Tammy Abraham, enjoyed a season of ups and downs for the Blues, but he should spend next year out on loan.

When it was first announced that Timo Werner was going to join Chelsea in a stunning move from RB Leipzig, the excitement amongst Chelsea fans was palpable. The Blues were bringing in a truly world class striker, one of the best in Europe and a player of a level that Chelsea had not attracted since Eden Hazard joined the club.

The second thought most fans had was regarding Tammy Abraham and how the addition of an undisputed No. 9 in Werner might impact the young English striker. There is no doubt that Werner has already solidified his spot in the starting XI; with the emergence of Christian Pulisic, the German is likely to slot straight into the ready-made formation as the sole striker. Where does that leave Abraham? In a word, lost.

Abraham started the year excellently for Chelsea, capitalizing on unsuspecting defenders with his aerial ability, pace and a very clinical touch in the box. He came out scoring at a consistent rate, and for the first months of the season, kept pace with Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero in the Golden Boot race.

Back in the depths of winter months, I remarked on how Abraham was playing too much. At the time, an unconscionable thought because of how inept Michy Batshuayi seemed to be and based on the fact that Olivier Giroud was too old to be anything more than a last ’20 minutes of a game’ type of sub. Manager Frank Lampard was deploying Abraham in the Premier League, Champions League and domestic cup competitions—although the latter is due is large parts to Batshuayi’s inability to string anything together. For a player that is still young and relatively green, Abraham had a lot of weight on his shoulders and no one was able to help with the load. Inevitably, it led to injuries and him burning out.

Lampard was presented with a problem; he had to replace the goals Abraham was scoring. By turning to Giroud, the manager was hoping the Frenchman could supply the same kind of focal point he did for France on the way to its 2018 World Cup triumph. Not a lot of a goals, but a complimentary, reliable option. In Giroud, one knows what he’s going to get.

Giroud is not the striker he was, but he can hold the ball up, link play and still cause some problems—even if his legs aren’t what they once were. Giroud’s presence stabilized the Blues so much so that when Abraham was fit and ready to go again, Lampard opted to keep Giroud as the starter.

For all of Olivier Giroud’s abilities and charms, if a fully fit Tammy Abraham cannot displace a 33-year-old, what hope does the Englishman have of replacing the searing pace and world-beating abilities of Timo Werner? Seemingly only through injury.

All of what Tammy Abraham possesses, Timo Werner possesses in greater quantities. Abraham is no slouch; Werner has lightning in his boots. Abraham is clinical in the box; Werner scores with both feet in the box at a higher rate. Abraham has good link up play; Werner’s ability to play out wide and draw markers to make room for teammates leads to higher assist numbers. Abraham might be an excellent striker in the future, but he isn’t close to being on Werner’s level yet.

Some might argue that Abraham has a role to play if Lampard wishes to deploy Werner as part of a two-man strike force in the way Yussuf Poulsen and he did at Leipzig; however, with his link-up play and aerial presence, Giroud seems to fit more within that framework than Abraham does.

Once again, Abraham’s path to the starting XI seems unclear. At 22 years old, Abraham needs as much live game time as possible. Sure, watching and learning from Werner will benefit the Englishman, but coming on at the ends of the game and getting a few minutes here and there is not going to aid Abraham’s development as much as consistent playing will.

Abraham’s best option is to go on loan for the upcoming season. He needs to play every week, but it is no good just to send him out and hope that he ends up in a good team. His obvious ability means he is too good for a Championship side and failed gambits at Swansea should warn Chelsea away from just another Premier League newcomer.

As with many young players, and a large contingent of young English players especially, the Bundesliga would be a perfect fit for Abraham. Perhaps even Borussia Monchengladbach—who has a history with Chelsea loanees (Andreas Christensen)—could be in the market for help alongside Marcus Thuram. FC Schalke 04 didn’t have a player get into the double digits for goals, so there is a need there; while perhaps Bayer Leverkusen could be more amenable to a deal with Kai Havertz if Abraham joins them for a year on loan.

This will be a defining year for Tammy Abraham. Staying and fighting for his place at Stamford Bridge, while admirable, might not prove to be beneficial—stagnation is possible. However, there are risks in leaving on loan, an out-of-sight out-of-mind situation could arise.

Abraham should keep the faith that Lampard showed in him, and trust that he is a part of the club’s plans for the future. As for the present, Abraham needs to go out on loan and show the Chelsea brass that he is a legitimate challenger to Werner; only then will Chelsea fans truly be salivating over their attacking corps.