Newcastle United wanted Tammy Abraham last summer.
Ian Wright has told BBC Radio Five Live he was “praying” that Newcastle United signed Tammy Abraham last summer and hopes that the Magpies go back for him.
The 20-year-old Chelsea striker was heavily linked with a move to Newcastle for most of last June, but wound up joining Swansea City on loan.
Abraham, worth around £28 million according to CIES Football Observatory, hasn’t hit the heights expected of him since firing 23 goals for Bristol City in the Championship last season, only managing five in 26 Premier League outings for the Swans this time around.
Benitez has since signed his Chelsea team-mate Kenedy, who has impressed on his half-season loan at Newcastle so far.
And Wright has intimated that the Spanish manager should try to sign Abraham again, claiming that St James’s Park represents an “unbelievable” place for a young player to develop.
“I was praying that someone like Tammy Abraham went somewhere like there [Newcastle] and I keep saying it because it would be an unbelievable place to score goals at and build,” he told BBC Radio Five Live.
“I watched him come on the other day against Man United and I’m seeing some improvement.
“It’s the kind of place if he goes there under Rafa with someone like Kenedy that he knows from Chelsea, then all of a sudden he can start to bring in these players.”
Benitez clearly has a good relationship with the Blues, but it remains to be seen whether he can successfully lure Abraham to Tyneside.
After all, there was a reason why Newcastle failed to sign him last summer and The Mirror claimed that Chelsea were concerned about him moving to a city famed for its nightlife.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
