Young English players are rapidly becoming a very valuable commodity In Germany. Jadon Sancho, Reiss Nelson and Reece Oxford have all been dazzling for their respective Bundesliga clubs this summer, and sides in the German top tier are starting to take notice, with a host of other English starlets being closely monitored by hungry eyes.
The latest to cause a buzz is Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, who has been absolutely tearing it up on his (latest) loan spell this season, where he's scored 21 goals in 29 appearances for Championship side Aston Villa. RB Leipzig are thought to be keen, and could land the 21-year-old for a bargain £20m this summer.
How many more for @TammyAbraham? #PartOfThePride #AVFC pic.twitter.com/q4yFJXFAJm
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 1, 2019
Now, Chelsea have earned themselves a bit of a reputation for not cherishing their rising stars. Back in 2012, a prominent sports writer quipped that Roman
In recent times, they've nurtured the likes of Nathan Aké, Nathaniel (why all the Nathans?!) Chalobah, Bertrand Traoré and Oriol Romeu, before selling them on for chickenfeed before they reach their full potential. It begs the question: Just what is the point?
Then there's the loan army, which is becoming as swollen with bodies as Blazin' Squad back in their early '00s prime. To put it simply - upcoming players aren't rewarded for their development at Chelsea the way they should be, and that needs to change. Just look at the Callum Hudson-Odoi saga last January, where the club nearly lost their most promising prospect in years.
Now, this isn't a rant about Chelsea's youth policy, that's been covered enough, to the point of tedium, I might add. So, thinking positivity, the Blues have an absolute cracker of an academy product in Tammy Abraham - and he's the very man to lead the line for the club next season.
This pesky transfer ban hanging over Chelsea's head may well be overturned - or more likely, postponed - but either way, the club are likely to still be able to do some shopping in the summer. Gonzalo Higuaín will undoubtably be Maurizio Sarri's chosen option, he's loyal to the point of madness at times - just look at his dogged persistence with Jorginho.
Of course, Higuaín is a proven goalscorer across Europe's elite leagues, and has already banged a few in for the Blues since arriving on loan in January. But the man is going to be 32 this year, and is certainly not the future of the club.
Abraham, on the other hand, is a blinding spark just waiting to set the Premier League alight. Granted, he didn't have a particularly impressive loan spell in the English top tier, but he's a stronger, more savvy player now, and will be simply brimming with confidence off the back of a stellar campaign with the Villans.
What a team, what a performance, what a win 3 points, Goal & assist ⚽️ @AVFCOfficial pic.twitter.com/yJzMEDEUeR
— Tammy Abraham (@tammyabraham) March 2, 2019
If Chelsea have any bottle, and any real long-term thinking (judging by the rate at which they sack managers, they might well not), they should take a gamble on the England international, and back him to bag them the goals next season. Tottenham Hotspur enviably did it with Harry Kane, and there's no reason why the Blues can't do it with Abraham.
Let's face it, the Blues aren't going to win the Premier League title next season - the opposition
are far too strong. So why not take a gamble? Have Higuaín there by all means, and rotate where necessary, but give the charismatic Abraham that number nine shirt, and let him finally vanquish its Stamford Bridge curse.
Just imagine the joy of seeing Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi and Abraham all starting for Chelsea on a regular basis next season. The club have let their academy fruit wither on the vine - or, slashed it down and flogged it off to the highest bidder - far too readily in recent times, and putting their faith in the towering striker would be a powerful step in the right direction.
Source : 90min