Aston Villa have been fearful of losing Tammy Abraham in January, with reports suggesting Chelsea could recall the striker from his loan deal at Villa Park to either play him in the Premier League or sell him to the likes of Newcastle United or Crystal Palace. Gianfranco Zola’s revelation that Chelsea are interested in Callum Wilson should allay such fears, however.
As per Sky Sports, Zola recently said in a midweek press conference: “I’m sure that there are a lot of players that are linked with us. Certainly, Callum Wilson is doing very well for his club and he is of interest, not just for us, but for many. He’s strong, fast, and he sees the goal. I like him because he’s quick, but also strong in the air, which is a very important quality.
“But I don’t want to go too much into it. He’s doing very well. I’m pleased for him. He has a lot of qualities that can take him a long way”. Wilson has been in fantastic form this season, scoring and creating 13 goals in 16 Premier League appearances. His club form led to an England callup and he scored against the USA on his national team debut. Chelsea have been paying attention and could make an approach.
This would be good news for Villa, as it lessens the chances of them recalling Abraham to the first-team. We’ve already spoken about Maurizio Sarri options in attack (Olivier Giroud, Alvaro Morata, Eden Hazard) and how he’s likely to be content with his frontline for the season. Bringing back Abraham doesn’t make sense with Giroud being in the squad. And if Chelsea want to bring in Wilson, there’d be no room for Abraham in the side.
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
Aston Villa ‘have not made calls’ for centre-back, January deal highly unlikely
