Tammy Abraham appears to have found himself at a crossroads as his Chelsea future looks increasingly uncertain. The striker has slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge under new manager Thomas Tuchel and also looks unlikely to make the England squad for this summer’s rescheduled European Championships.
A combination of those factors means a summer move away from his boyhood club has now become a realistic possibility for Abraham. With Champions League-chasing Leicester City reportedly among a host of top clubs monitoring his situation, we examine the reasons as to why the 23-year-old is struggling to feature prominently for the Chelsea first-team, as well as what the future may hold for the striker.
Why Tammy Abraham is Struggling Under Thomas Tuchel
The Striker is Chelsea’s Most-Reliable Goalscorer
A favourite of former Blues manager Frank Lampard, Abraham has evidently failed to win over his new manager in the time since Thomas Tuchel arrived at Stamford Bridge in January: The striker has been left out of the travelling squad altogether for this evening’s crucial FA Cup clash with Manchester City.
If Tuchel made his decisions in the attacking areas based on the weight of goals alone, then Abraham would quite possibly still be in the frame to lead the line against Pep Guardiola’s side. Before the German’s arrival, Abraham had finished last season as Chelsea’s top scorer with 18 goals across all competitions.
Perhaps surprisingly, the same remains the case this season so far. Having scored 12 goals in all competitions in 2020/21, Abraham has managed to outscore each and every member of Chelsea’s expensively assembled forward line. And yet, the Blues’ top scorer currently finds himself out in the cold.
Clearly, Tuchel wants his forward players to be alive in more areas of the pitch than simply in front of goal. To suggest that the highly-talented Abraham does not offer this would perhaps be a little unfair, but it does nevertheless reveal a point of difference between the current Chelsea manager and his predecessor.
For instance, Frank Lampard was frequently more willing to choose Abraham as his main striker instead of Olivier Giroud, despite the Frenchman’s physical presence in the final third as well as his high-quality link play with teammates around him.
For his part, Abraham repaid Lampard’s faith with goals. However, as alluded to earlier, the England striker has been unable to do likewise under Tuchel, who has been more willing to put his faith in the energetic and livewire forward Timo Werner, despite the former RB Leipzig man’s profligacy in front of goal. Despite the lack of goals, Tuchel must feel that players like Werner are still offering enough to his side in their build-up play to justify Abraham’s absence from the picture.
Why Abraham Could Prosper Away From Chelsea
If Abraham is unable to reverse his sinking fortunes under Tuchel in the short time that remains between now and the end of the season, then he may be forced to leave his boyhood club and play his football elsewhere.
According to Fabrizio Romano, former Chelsea coach Brendan Rodgers would be keen to welcome Abraham to Leicester City this summer, where he would fit in alongside the likes of Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho at the King Power Stadium.
The move would be an interesting one for Abraham, given that former England marksman Vardy – despite his timeless performances and impressive goalscoring record – is not getting any younger and the fact that it took a long while for Nigeria striker Iheanacho to eventually find his feet under Rodgers’ guidance.
Indeed the latter player would make for an interesting comparison with Abraham if the Chelsea man were to switch London for Leicester in the summer. Iheanacho has only recently started to look like a top-class Premier League striker for the Foxes, despite having joined the club over three years ago.
Rodgers credits the 24-year-old’s patience and willingness to learn how to fit into his particular system for the player’s upturn in form. Like Iheanacho, time is certainly still on 23-year-old Abraham’s side if he were to follow in his footsteps.
At present, it looks as if the early promise of Tammy Abraham is set to go unfulfilled at Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel, who is unwilling to grant the player preferential treatment at Stamford Bridge in order to fulfil his England ambitions. If Abraham were to respond to these setbacks by seeking pastures new this summer, then Brendan Rodgers’ track record suggests he could help the striker develop into one of England’s top strikers if Abraham were to choose Leicester City as his next destination.
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