Carlton Cole believes West Ham United may be the ideal destination for Tammy Abraham as the striker faces an uncertain future at Premier League rivals Chelsea, while speaking to talkSPORT (20 July, 8.30am).
No one in Thomas Tuchel’s squad scored more goals than Tammy Abraham last season.
And when you consider that he played just 32 games – 20 less than Timo Werner – such a statistic speaks volumes about a man who can consider himself a little unfortunate to have tumbled down the pecking order under the former PSG and Borussia Dortmund coach.
Abraham played just 17 minutes during Chelsea’s final three months of the season and was left out of the matchday squad altogether for the Champions League final victory over Manchester City at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao.
So Cole, who himself left Chelsea for West Ham in 2006 after struggling for opportunities at Stamford Bridge, is backing the England international to follow in his footsteps as he looks to avoid a season on the sidelines.
Should Tammy Abraham leave Chelsea for West Ham United?
“You get to a point where you have to know your worth. (Chelsea) don’t value him the way they should do. He didn’t play the back end of last season, he’s not in Tuchel’s plans obviously,” said Cole, who would then spend nearly a decade at Upton Park.
“I would look at other options if I was him to say: ‘Do you know what? Let me go and be the main man somewhere’.”
When quizzed specifically about West Ham, Cole is confident that his old employers could stump up the £40 million Chelsea want for England international Abraham (Telegraph).
“Can they afford him? Yeah, I think they can. What they have spent on other players, why not?” Cole added.
“A club like West Ham would be good for him, so he can grow. The only thing I’m a bit sceptical about is his hold-up play, which can improve. So if he wants to use me as his striker coach, I can sort that out for him!”
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