Conflicting Arsenal reports on Tammy Abraham transfer

Fabrizio Romano Denies Tammy Abraham to Arsenal Links

Interestingly, The Sun have actually been surprisingly less dodgy with Arsenal news this summer. They’ve had their fair share of misses, as ever, but have actually cropped up with some credible information.

This, however, seems like a stretch.

Abraham will be leaving Chelsea this summer after falling out of favour with Thomas Tuchel, who is pursuing a shiny new centre-forward of his own. West Ham and Spurs have been linked, and there are reliable sources stating that Arsenal are staying informed of the 23-year-old’s future.

As they look set to land Ben White for £50m and are plotting a similarly huge bid for Maddison, throwing £40m on top of those deals for a striker who won’t play every week seems a touch dubious.

As per Fabrizio Romano, some sense has entered the fray. He states that there are no advanced talks with both clubs and that the Gunners are just wanting to stay in the loop as he is a player they admire. However, no official bid.

A specialist in vagueness and covering all avenues, this doesn’t completely dispel The Sun’s piece, but does slow everything down to a more manageable pace.

Abraham is not a priority but you can understand what Mikel Arteta has in mind, if he is indeed the player he’s after (which is questionable due to his technical level and link up ability). If Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are sold the Balogun can leave on loan with Abraham being Aubameyang’s backup.

Gabriel Martinelli can be third choice when he’s not out on the wing and come next summer there is then scope for the captain to move on. That would leave Abraham and Flo as the two vying for a starting berth. There is a succession plan there.

Also, while Chelsea rejects aren’t wanted, young Chelsea talents cast aside – Salah, Lukaku and De Bruyne, anyone? – are a different kettle of fish. Abraham is hugely underrated and given his age, Premier League experience, ability and him actually being an Arsenal fan, there is sense in this transfer even if £40m is steep.

But it’s not about him being worth £40m – which in the current market with the unavoidable ‘taxes’ is about right if not still over the top – it’s about necessity. Arsenal have too much on their plate to be spending that kind of money. It’s far too much for the Gunners to spend.

Ignoring The Sun’s piece (which is a good idea), unless Arsenal have a bottomless pit of money to be delving into then this is not the priority position to tend to. Far from it.