Arsenal great Alan Smith has admitted that he had his doubts about whether Tammy Abraham would be able to make it. The youngster has exceeded expectations this season as he has so far scored eight goals from eight League games. He has drawn comparisons to Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney as well as Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.
“Walking away from Besiktas’s Vodafone Park stadium in August, I seriously wondered whether Tammy Abraham was going to crack it as a Premier League striker,” said Smith writing for The London Evening Standard.
“In that Uefa Super Cup Final, the Chelsea substitute had fluffed a very good chance from close range before missing the decisive penalty in the shoot-out to hand Liverpool victory. Abraham looked devastated as his team-mates crowded round to try and console him.
“Thank goodness I was wrong, for Abraham (right, training this week with England) has always appealed to this former centre-forward for the unselfish way he leads the line. Not many cover as much ground as this hard-working character.
“On top, his tremendous physique and speed across the turf make him ideal for the top flight. All Abraham required was a bit of self belief, which, in strikers, can only come from scoring goals. ”
There were questions asked of Abraham ahead of this season
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard opted to utilize Abraham as his first-choice striker this season in the League. Many would have felt that the tactician should have went with the more experienced Olivier Giroud or even Michy Batshuayi a second chance to prove himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful.
It was certainly understandable that questions were asked of Lampard’s decision to utilize Abraham as his first-choice striker. The player had never been proven at Premier League level prior to this season. He did have a loan spell with Swansea City when they were in the Premier League during the 2017/18 season. However, that spell proved to be unsuccessful as it yielded just five goals with the Swans ending up getting relegated.
Abraham could have an exciting future ahead of him
Harry Kane has been widely regarded as the best English striker during the past five years with nobody really coming close to match the Tottenham man. Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy have produced world-class displays from time to time but have not managed to emulate the Spurs star when it comes to consistency.
Abraham could pose a strong challenge to Kane for the first-choice England striker position going forward. If the duo continue to shine for their respective clubs in the Premier League, Gareth Southgate may want to consider deploying two strikers to start for his team.
Chelsea have also struggled to find a solid number nine since the departure of Drogba. Will Abraham finally be the candidate to take the club back to its glory days? Time will tell.
