If there’s one thing to send shivers down the spines of us Villa fans, just as we appear to have finally cracked it, is the fast approaching January transfer window.
Tammy Abraham has been a revelation since joining on loan from Chelsea, with the England international showing all of the attributes of a striker with the ability to go right to the top of the game.
Abraham is in fine form, notching four against Nottingham Forest only last week, before scoring again in the 3-0 away victory against Middlesbrough on Saturday evening.
In all, he has 11 goals in 15 appearances for Villa this term.
Whilst this excellent form and goal return is naturally to be welcomed, it reportedly means that Chelsea are considering their position on whether to recall Abraham for the final half of their Premier League campaign.
Chelsea currently sit seven points adrift of league leaders Manchester City, have scored thirteen goals less and have the rigours of Champions League football to contend with in the second half of the 2018/19 campaign.
Additionally, The Blues also have the contractual right to exercise Abraham’s return to Stamford Bridge should they wish.
Whilst all players are ultimately replaceable, losing such a prolific goalscorer and all round impressive footballer would count as a massive blow to Smith. One hopes that reports of John Terry’s influence on the matter are accurate and that Villa have already entered into discussions with Chelsea.
The best outcome is that Abraham stays and flourishes. If the alternative is the case, the most we can hope for is that we have ample time to source a replacement.
Finally, one peripheral concern might be the desperation of other clubs to acquire a top striker in the January window. Whilst a Championship rival is less likely, the notion of a struggling Premier League side opening the cheque book is not so far fetched. This could arguably be the more plausible challenge as Chelsea can reasonably be assumed to receive enquiries for Abraham’s services on a permanent basis.
