Aston Villa's £18 million transfer swoop for Tammy Abraham could look even smarter in the coming weeks
Aston Villa's Tammy Abraham
Aston Villa's Tammy Abraham(Image: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock)
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Goalscorers have become more of a commodity than ever, and Tammy Abraham's return to Aston Villa could prove to be shrewd business.
Signed for £18 million from Besiktas in January, Abraham should, in theory, be approaching his prime years, despite leaving Italy for Turkey last summer.
He netted 13 goals in 26 games for Besiktas in the first half of the season, before Unai Emery finally recruited the striker he had been trying to bring back to the club for several years.
Abraham’s return to England was met with excitement, and even more intrigue, given that his last Premier League appearance had been in May 2021.
Over four and a half years later, Abraham seemed set to mark his Premier League return in perfect fashion, pouncing on Caoimhin Kelleher’s save to equalize against Brentford - only for the goal to be ruled out by VAR, which traced the play back by 19 seconds.
His luck changed when he scored against Newcastle United in the FA Cup, with a goal that likely would have been ruled out for offside had VAR been in operation.
He then scored in successive league games, turning in Ezri Konsa’s header to level the match against Leeds United last weekend.
Although he officially has two goals to show for his bright start under Emery, Abraham actually found the net three times in his first five matches back in claret and blue.
Even better news for Villa: Abraham loves playing against Wolves. He has scored more goals against Wolves than any other opponent in English league football (six), including a hat-trick in his first Premier League appearance against them for Chelsea at Molineux in September 2019.
Friday night’s opponents, Wolves, had kept back-to-back clean sheets at home against West Ham and Newcastle. However, Rob Edwards’ side have conceded seven goals in their last three home league matches against Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
Emery faces a big decision on whether to start Ollie Watkins or Abraham up top - or even play both - but it’s the latter who many fans will want on the pitch from the outset.
Offering real competition for Watkins was necessary for the second half of the season, and the club's plan could be vindicated if Abraham and Watkins are able to reach their best form by competing for the coveted number nine role.
If Abraham can continue scoring regularly until the end of the season, helping Villa fend off competition for a Champions League spot, he will more than justify his price tag, while also giving Villa their best chance of winning silverware in the Europa League.
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