Fabrizio Romano drops Tammy Abraham bombshell after Michail Antonio horror show vs Villa
West Ham United have been heavily linked with a move to sign Tammy Abraham from Roma this summer.
A recent report claimed that he could be picked up for just £21 million – outstanding value in this day and age.
And considering just how bad Michail Antonio was against Aston Villa on Saturday, it would be no surprise if West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui does want to bring Tammy Abraham to the London Stadium this summer.
The transfer apparently could be ‘quick and painless’, and I personally think he’d be a huge upgrade on Antonio.
The 34-year-old has regressed badly over the past 12 months. He lacks the blistering pace he once possessed, and no longer seems able to hold the ball up sufficiently.
He was so far off the pace against Villa on Saturday that Lopetegui surely must have realised the signing of another centre-forward before the transfer window closes is a necessity.
The Hammers owners have backed Lopetegui to the hilt already this summer, but the addition of one more striker, and a central midfielder as well if we’re honest, would make us definite top seven contenders in my opinion.
So could Abraham be West Ham bound? Romano has lifted the lid on the answer to that question.
Tammy Abraham bombshell after Antonio horror show for West Ham
The Jamaica international will still be a useful squad player for the Hammers, but he should be the third choice striker and nothing more.
Niclas Fullkrug will undoubtedly lead the line for West Ham starting from next weekend, but I still think the German needs stronger competition than Antonio can provide.
Abraham would definitely be able to challenge Fullkrug for his place, but are we really in for the Roma hitman?
Fabrizio Romano has lifted the lid on exactly that question, when speaking to Caught Offside.
The Italian transfer guru dropped somewhat of a bombshell.
He said, “Tammy Abraham – Despite reports, I’m not aware of anything imminent now for Abraham. I don’t have confirmation on West Ham, for Saudi there are different movements now so it’s not something close or concrete.”
That’s a really big shock as far as I’m concerned, considering how strong the links have been this summer.
Tammy Abraham would be the perfect signing for West Ham, and he’d provide Lopetegui with a completely different option through the middle.
Just as importantly, the 26-year-old would be a major upgrade on Michail Antonio. We cannot afford to head into a new season with the 34-year-old the first or second choice centre-forward.
However, it seems like Abraham won’t be the man to compete with Fullkrug unfortunately.
Abraham injury history a concern
We all know about the former Chelsea striker’s injury problems over the past four years or so.
He has missed 301 days of football since suffering an ACL injury when playing for Roma in 2023.
Abraham has really struggled with ankle injuries during his career as well, and missed 158 days of action because of them from February 2020 – December 2021.
£21 million seems like a decent fee for West Ham to pay for Tammy Abraham, despite that less than perfect injury record.
Whether the Hammers owners agree with that sentiment remains to be seen though.
Judging by Fabrizio Romano’s latest update, it seems like the Hammers aren’t actually in for Tammy at all, and that’s a real shame in my opinion.
