Chelsea boss Tuchel: Why I dropped Tammy Abraham

Emmet Gates

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:40 CDT
• 3 min read

Speculation is mounting on the future of Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham after he was dropped from the squad for the 5-2 defeat against West Brom.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were taken apart after defender Thiago Silva was sent off on the half-hour mark.

READ MORE: Tammy Abraham: Does he have a long-term future at Chelsea?

Despite Chelsea taking the lead through Christian Pulisic, West Brom were leading at half-time with the score 2-1. In the second half they added a further three, despite Mason Mount scoring a consolation for the home side.

It was coach Tuchel’s first loss in charge of the club.

Abraham’s future at Chelsea

Tammy Abraham was dropped from the matchday squad entirely, leading to more speculation that he could leave the club at the end of the season.

The English striker was a regular under Frank Lampard, but has only played three times since Lampard was sacked in late January.

“He was not in the squad. I have to nominate 18 players,” Tuchel told Talksport radio.

“There are tough choices to make. We take the choices of what the game demands, of what we predict, of the substitutions that we have.

“In the end, we have to select 18 players for more or less 20 positions. So we have to leave three players out and Tammy was one of the three players.

“It’s nothing personal or nothing big. He has the same chance to play every three days like everybody else.”

Abraham’s contract expires in June 2023.

Where could Abraham go?

The striker, who is Chelsea’s top scorer this season with 12 goals, has been linked with a move back to Aston Villa in recent days.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a loan spell at Villa Park in 2018/19, scoring 26 goals in The Championship as they secured promotion via the play-offs.

It has been reported that Villa boss Dean Smith could make a move to sign Abraham ahead of next season.

He returned to Chelsea last season, scoring 15 league goals in 34 games in the Premier League.