Thomas Tuchel is unaware whether talks are ongoing to extend Tammy Abraham’s contract at Chelsea, but the Blues head coach has praised the striker’s “spirit to make it” at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Tuchel said: “I like that he made his way out on loan and overcame obstacles in his career. He always scored for his teams; he was always there. He has the spirit to make it at Chelsea. This is one of the toughest challenges you can face but he is ready for that.”
Tuchel was asked ahead of tomorrow’s game with Newcastle United for his thoughts on Abraham’s contract situation at Chelsea and whether he felt this summer would be a pivotal moment in the 23-year-old’s career at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Tuchel replied: “I’m not aware of the contract situations of my players because I don’t want to be involved in this and judging this when I’m making the decisions of who’s playing and who’s not. He [Abraham] deserved to play at Barnsley. He had a difficult game against Burnley at home – he suffered from the tactical shift at half-time – and did not play against Tottenham and Sheffield United. That’s why he deserved to play [against Barnsley] because he is a very positive guy, very clear, very ambitious.”
Thomas Tuchel added: “He played well at Barnsley because he did not only score the decisive goal but was also very important in defensive set-pieces, he cleared many situations for us with his head. He was absolutely ready to suffer. For that, he has all my credit. It’s a good new start for him to step up and show that he is important for us.”
Abraham joined Chelsea at the age of eight and developed into a prolific goalscorer as he progressed through the club’s academy system. He struck 67 goals in two seasons for the Blues’ Under-18s and development squad before thriving on loan at Bristol City in 2016/17. Frank Lampard’s appointment finally saw the striker given an opportunity at Stamford Bridge. Abraham repaid that faith. He netted 18 times last term and is Chelsea’s top scorer this with 12 goals.