Chelsea’s in-house Erling Haaland alternatives, part three: The forgotten

If Chelsea somehow signs Erling Haaland at this point, it will come as a surprise even given the massive amount of rumors about him. The club doesn’t seem willing to pay the price necessary and it seems every time they get close, Dortmund just raises it.

It’s all too easy for the club to drop into old ways and buy a player, any player, to cover for missing out on Haaland. That would be a mistake. The Blues struggled to score last season with Thomas Tuchel, but with a full preseason, the in house options might just be able to flip the script. And, who else is better suited for that than Tammy Abraham?

Why could Tammy Abraham be an alternative?

Since playing for Chelsea’s academy, Abraham has gone through several evolutions stylistically. He used to be very much a player that stayed high up top but his time at Aston Villa especially taught him to get involved with buildup and to roam about more. Compared to the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, Abraham doesn’t roam nearly as much but he is hard static either.

But the main thing Abraham brings is goals. In the last two seasons he may have ultimately have lost a starting spot for one reason or another, but when playing, he scores. The proof is in the pudding. 30 goals in 79 appearances is a very solid return that can only be improved upon.

Perhaps more importantly of all is he was among the first back in preseason. He’s hungry, he’s an actual striker without adjectives. Maybe last season the issue was less about quality (because he’s got plenty) and more about not having the time to get him to do the things Thomas Tuchel wanted. A full preseason could easily change that and Abraham seems desperate to make that happen.

Why Abraham might not be an alternative?

The last point about having a preseason is important, but it might not matter. Abraham was a player that, for whatever reason, Tuchel didn’t give much more than two looks at. Unfortunately for Abraham, those two looks involved being a half time sacrifice. Even with a full preseason, it’s very hard to see any manager changing their mind that much on a player.

Furthermore, Abraham simply might not be able to be the striker Tuchel wants. Historically, Tuchel has preferred faster strikers that are very comfortable roaming around. The traditional reference point striker staying high or in and around the center just aren’t his bread and butter. At Paris Saint-Germain, he had Edison Cavani and Mauro Icardi for several seasons and never really shined to either player.

Abraham will be aware of the Haaland rumors and he’ll be well aware of how things went last season. He knows he’s a Premier League level striker and potentially a top one at that. Just like the academy exodus is based on not wanting to stall or gamble careers, Abraham may be at a point where he doesn’t want to play this “prove yourself” game another season. He has proved himself. If Chelsea still doesn’t see that, he’ll move to a club that does and that train may have already left the station no matter how preseason goes.

Let us know what you think on Twitter and in the comments and stay tuned for the next three parts of this series!