Tammy Abraham targeting senior England place as Gareth Southgate sends his assistant to watch red-hot Chelsea youngster take on Valencia
- Tammy Abraham has Callum Wilson’s place in the England squad in his sights
- The young striker has ruthlessly scored seven goals in three matches for Chelsea
- Gareth Southgate is sending his assistant to watch Abraham take on Valencia
Tammy Abraham is set to have the opportunity to fire his way into the England squad as he looks to make his Champions League debut on Tuesday night.
Gareth Southgate will give serious consideration to handing the Chelsea star his competitive international debut next month amid Nigeria’s ploy to snatch the Chelsea striker.
And the 21-year-old will have the chance to solidify his position in Southgate’s plans, if he plays, when the Blues welcome Valencia, a game England No 2 Steve Holland is planning to attend.
Tammy Abraham is set to have the chance to fire his way into the England squad on Tuesday
Nigeria want Abraham, who has two friendly caps for England, to switch allegiances and the player has refused to rule out the possibility of representing the Super Eagles.
The 21-year-old, though, is firmly on Southgate’s radar, particularly after scoring seven goals already this season making him joint top scorer alongside Sergio Aguero in the Premier League.
Southgate is determined not to be railroaded into handing Abraham a recall because of Nigeria’s interest in the striker and will only select the youngster if he feels it’s warranted.
But there is a growing feeling among the England coaching staff that the Blues academy graduate is ready to make his senior competitive international debut ahead of October’s Euro 2020 double-header against Czech Republic and Bulgaria.
Abraham’s emergence could leave Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson at risk.. The 27-year-old, who has scored three goals so far this season, has been a regular in the England squad in recent months.
But Abraham’s form could leave Wilson’s place in jeopardy. Alternatively, Southgate may look to accommodate both strikers in his next squad and drop one of his midfielders.
Gareth Southgate will send assistant Steve Holland to watch Abraham at Stamford Bridge
Abraham could steal the place belonging to Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson in the next squad
The Football Association are known to be confident Abraham wants a career with England, but if he does not make the senior breakthrough before 2020, the Chelsea striker may seek a career with Nigeria.
Until Abraham plays a competitive fixture for England’s senior team, he is eligible to switch.
The FA are also bracing themselves for attempt from Nigeria to nab another one of their young talents in Abraham’s club team-mate Fikayo Tomori.
The 21-year-old has started Chelsea’s previous two games, scoring his first goal for the club in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Wolves.
But Nigeria are understood to monitoring Tomori, who has 15 Under-21 caps, closely and preparing a move to persuade the central defender his international future lies with the African nation.
England staff rate Tomori closely, but with the likes of John Stones, Harry Maguire, Michael Keane, Joe Gomez, Tyrone Mings, Lewis Dunk and James Tarkowski ally vying for places in the squad, competition at centre-back is fierce.