Newcastle United or Swansea City – Where Should Tammy Abraham Move This Summer?
Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham’s stock has been on the rise over the past year or so and he has become a popular prospect for several Premier League clubs who want to take him on a temporary spell. Newly promoted sides Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion have been credited with an interest, along with Welsh club Swansea City (as per Northern Echo).
The 21-year old had a stellar campaign on loan at Championship side Bristol City last season as he finished as the second highest goal-scorer in the second division with 23 goals, tied with Glenn Murray (Brighton) and Dwight Gayle (Newcastle), inspite of his team’s poor table position.
Despite his impressive outing last campaign, Premier League champions Chelsea are willing to let the striker go out on another loan spell for the next term and it was reported last month by The Chronicle that Newcastle had been given permission by the West London outfit to negotiate with their academy graduate. However, The Mirror claimed recently that it is Swansea who are leading the race to sign Abraham for the next season, after the player had reservations over a proposed move to the St. James’ Park.
Abraham is currently away on international duty, representing the England U-21 side in the UEFA Euro U-21 competition in Poland. A decision on his future is unlikely to be taken until he returns from the tournament. So, where should he be plying his trade next season? Should he go up north and join up with the Toon Army? Or should he move to the Liberty Stadium to play for the Swans?
A Case For Newcastle United
Newcastle are a club of big stature and rich history and it will be a matter of pride for a young player like Abraham to don the black and white of the Magpies and strut his stuff in front of a 50,000 plus crowd in the historic St. James’ Park. Also, the chance to work with a manager of Rafael Benitez’s stature should be quite an appealing prospect for the player.
The Magpies have Dwight Gayle in their ranks, along with the misfiring Aleksandar Mitrovic and the ageing Daryl Murphy. While Gayle finished with 23 goals in his first season with Newcastle in the Championship last time around, he hasn’t had a particularly great record in the Premier League, which was during his time with Crystal Palace.
Question marks remain over the future of Mitrovic, who has struggled to meet his immense potential, in the two years he has been with the Tynesiders, while Murphy is unlikely to be anything more than a rotation option. However, Newcastle are expected to bring in another big name striker in the summer so as to strengthen their ranks on their return to the top flight.
This would mean Abraham will be battling it out with Gayle, Mitrovic and another potential new arrival for a starting berth.
A Case For Swansea City
At the Liberty Stadium, Abraham will be provided with an opportunity to reunite with manager Paul Clement, who he has worked with before when the current Swansea boss was a coach at Chelsea several years ago. The Swans are putting together a strong team that managed to battle it out and survive the threat of relegation last term under the tutelage of Clement.
The Welsh club do not have a lot of options at the top, apart from Fernando Llorente, as Bafetimbi Gomis has already left the club. Spanish striker Borja Baston is also expected to leave in this window. A chance to play with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Llorente is something that will definitely appeal to the 21-year old.
Abraham’s only competition for a spot in the playing XI will be Llorente and while it will not be an easy feat to oust the former Juventus forward from the team, the opportunity to learn and imbibe knowledge from someone as experienced as the Spaniard, who is a World Cup winner and a European champion, will be a great learning curve for the youngster.
The Verdict
Taking in all factors into account, it would probably be better for Abraham to make a temporary switch to the Liberty Stadium, as it would guarantee him more first team opportunities, while also giving him a chance to learn the tricks of the trade from Llorente. Also, the fact that manager Clement has strong ties with Chelsea and has seen Abraham from close quarters before is something that can help the player to settle in well into his new team, making Swansea the more attractive destination than Newcastle.