Why isn’t he in the squad?
Abraham’s absence is not injury-related — sources have confirmed to The Athletic that he is fully fit and trained at Cobham this week. It is simply Tuchel’s decision to repeatedly leave him out, and one which he defended in a press conference last week.
“Tammy had a bit of a rough time,” he said. “He was twice substituted for tactical reasons at half-time. He could not have the impact he demands from himself and we wish from him.”
Abraham remains Chelsea’s top scorer in the Premier League with six goals this season, but Tuchel is not basing his decision on that.
“I don’t think he’s the top scorer since I arrived,” Chelsea’s head coach added. “I can only judge what I see. I saw a bright young man in front of me. I saw a guy who is self-confident, who has a lot of talent. But it cannot be that in a period of such good results that suddenly the guys who don’t play are the winners.
“This is not logical to me. He was for some weeks not available, so is it now the moment to do crazy stuff and try things? If you just look at the data, you will say: ‘OK, he’s the top scorer.’ If you look at the data since we are here, it will maybe tell you a different story.”
How has he been used by Tuchel?
Abraham has started three times in the Premier League under Tuchel, limping off with an ankle injury after 20 minutes against Newcastle and being substituted at half-time for tactical reasons against Burnley and Southampton.
Since recovering from the ankle injury Abraham has struggled to even make the Chelsea bench, with Tuchel often including two nominal left-backs — Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri — among the substitutes ahead of him.
Does Abraham have a future at Chelsea?
The situation looks bleak for him as long as Tuchel is in charge, and the German has made a strong start to life at Chelsea. Then there is also the club’s pursuit of Erling Haaland, which serves as a further signal that the club do not believe Abraham is good enough to be their long-term No 9.
Sources have told The Athletic that Abraham triggered a two-year extension clause by scoring 15 Premier League goals last season, which takes his current deal to June 2023.
As such there is no urgency for Chelsea to sell him this summer, but Marina Granovskaia may view his departure as a good way to raise funds for the club’s top transfer targets.
More pertinently, it is hard to envision Abraham being content to remain at Chelsea beyond this season unless his fortunes improve under Tuchel. If he does decide to push for a move away, there will be plenty of interest in a 23-year-old who has scored well in the Premier League and is a senior England international.
For more detail on Abraham’s Chelsea future, Go Deeper below.
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