Tammy Abraham's proposed loan to West Ham makes sense for everyone - except Abraham

If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that Tammy Abraham's current situation is not ideal for anyone.

The 23-year-old has played just 230 minutes since Thomas Tuchel arrived at Chelsea in January (and is somehow still the team's top scorer in all competitions) and he looks set to tumble further down the pecking order as Chelsea are casting glances at Erling Haaland, Romelu Lukaku and Sergio Aguero.

He needs a move this summer, and West Ham are keen to offer him the chance to head to the London Stadium on loan next season.

Abraham is a wanted man | Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

David Moyes' side were initially expected to push for Abraham permanently, but with Chelsea demanding £40m for him, they have scared off the Hammers and fellow suitors Aston Villa, Leicester and Newcastle.

You might think that Chelsea should just lower their asking price, but in reality, £40m isn't crazy for a 23-year-old England international with proven quality in the Premier League. For contrast, Villa brought Ollie Watkins up from the Championship for £30m and West Ham paid a similar figure for Watkins' Brentford teammate, Said Benrahma, despite neither coming with Premier League experience.

£40m is the market for Abraham, so if nobody's buying, sending the striker out on loan and putting him in the shop window would be perfect. Teams would get more chances to see Abraham's worth, and West Ham would likely jump at the chance to pay £40m next summer if the striker does tear it up on a temporary deal.

David Moyes wants Abraham at West Ham | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Even Abraham would win because of the extra first-team football, but the major problem with this one is his expiring contract. He's got two years left to run and would have to ink an extension before going anywhere, but his reluctance to do so is the entire reason he's up for sale in the first place.

Abraham does not want to commit to more time at a club who are refusing to commit to him. Chelsea won't play him regularly and are actively looking at spending £100m on somebody to replace him, so why would Abraham want to sign on for even just an extra 12 months? He wants out now, and you can't really blame him.

It's a bit of a rock-and-a-hard-place situation for Abraham. If he says no to a contract extension, he is left to rot for at least another 12 months, but if he says yes and heads out on loan, he'll be stuck on the books at Chelsea for a little while longer and risk fading into loan-army obscurity. In both situations, the only loser is Abraham.

The England man might be left with no choice but to bite the bullet and listen to Chelsea's proposal. As a 23-year-old who is still looking to prove himself capable of playing for an elite team, another 12 months out on the fringes could be fatal to his career. He simply cannot afford to get left out in the cold again.

Abraham has a decision to make | Pool/Getty Images

West Ham would give him the minutes he is craving, and if he scored the number of goals he thinks he's capable of, he'd earn himself one of two things: A permanent move elsewhere, or more minutes at Chelsea.

Chelsea get to boost their assets and West Ham get a low-risk, high-reward signing, but Abraham gets another year of uncertainty. It's up to him to decide whether it's a gamble worth taking.


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Source : 90min