Six goals in his last three matches tell one striking story: Tammy Abraham’s star is shining brighter than it has ever shown.
The youngster banged in 26 goals for Aston Villa last term and was one of the biggest names in the Championship as the Villans mounted a successful promotion challenge. Even then, Tammy was not so thrust into the public consciousness as he presently is.
But after an indifferent start to his Chelsea senior team career and a short spell battling racism from his own fans, the 21-year-old has shaken off the chains to fully blossom into the Premier League top goalscorer under the guidance of Frank Lampard.
The Blues manager repose trust the size of Mount Kilimanjaro in the club’s Academy product and Abraham can only glow brighter in the coming weeks and months.
However, a new test is brewing. The former England youth international is eligible to play for Nigeria and the country’s football administrators have been making overtures to convince Tammy to switch allegiance to the West African nation.
The former Swansea loanee, though, apparently has his sights set on playing for the Three Lions, a decision that may have obvious consequences.
So many other Nigeria born stars have walked that same road of thirsting after and featuring for the Queen’s country and so many have regretted that decision.
So many stories that Tammy Abraham can learn from before making his final call on which country to play for.
Cole was at the peak of his powers in the early 2000s for Aston Villa, tearing defences with his pure power and scoring goals for fun.
But while Nigeria saw him as the next Nwankwo Kanu, he saw himself as the better version of Emily Heskey. Thing is, England saw him as just another rising youngster.
The NFA extended an invitation to Carlton Okorie Cole – whose father hailed from Rivers state – for Nigeria’s World Cup and African Nations Cup qualifiers in September 2008 with a view to having him ready for the 2010 World Cup.
In the hope of going to the World Cup with England, Cole failed to honour the Nigeria call. Both countries qualified for the 2010 World Cup but Cole was sat at home watching the games on his TV screen.
England would finally call him but after featuring in a grand total of seven matches, mostly friendly games, his spell with the Three Lions came to an abrupt end.
Please leave Tamuno alone. Time will tell
I feel like we have lost this one..He is definitely going with England.
We have Osimhen and we need to support and instill confidence in osimhen.
I pray he make the right choice
England is known for that. Tammy Abraham story will not be different if he chose to play for England. They will only use him to play friendly matches and qualifying, during the tournament proper they will go with English players. I remember Gabriel agbonlahor and others.
I am very worried about TA and I don’t know why. When he played for England in an international friendly, all the people that I watched the match with started cursing him. Hope that that curse won’t follow him o
am proud of my country Nigeria