Villa and Tammy: Our writers disagree on transfer of ‘romance and convenience' (2024)

Aston Villa are at the start of a transfer window that will determine how they cope with their most difficult season for decades. The 2024/24 season will see Unai Emery’s men not only challenged with maintaining their place in the Premier League’s top four – but doing so while managing the exertions of a maiden Champions League campaign.

Of course elevation to the highest stage in European club football has its perks and in qualifying Villa are now a hugely attractive proposition to players who might not previously have considered coming to a club for Europa Conference League or even no European football.

That, combined with the opportunity to work with Emery means few targets are now out of Villa’s reach and they are being connected with some mouthwatering transfers. Not least the almost daily links with Tammy Abraham.

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The 26-year-old is now at Roma but he’ll be best remembered by Villa fans for the outstanding season he spent on loan from Chelsea, to then Championship Villa. Twenty-six goals and a play-off winner’s medal made him a fan favourite.

But should Villa look to rekindle the romance? Here’s what our writers think.

Mat Kendrick

Oh, Tammy, Tammy - Tammy, Tammy, Tammy, Tammy Abraham.

There's often an unspoken rule in football and in life that you should never go back. Gordon Cowans is the gold standard exception to the rule in Aston Villa's case, while fellow club legends Graham Taylor and Andy Gray fall into the 'difficult second album' category.

Tammy Abraham is an interesting one. He remains the only Villa striker to score 20 league goals since Peter Withe in 1981, albeit Abraham's came in a Championship promotion season, not a top flight title triumph.

As a popular member of Dean Smith's class of 2018-19, who dragged the club from second tier purgatory with a remarkable run to play-off glory, Villa Park still holds the former Chelsea loanee in very high esteem.

Unai Emery, Villa's lord and master, will have no room for sentiment, however. Especially for a fans' favourite who predates his claret and blue revolution by several years, so it comes down purely to Abraham's ability.

This, in my opinion, is where heart and head could come together to make the prospect of a return for the 26-year-old frontman very enticing indeed. It's not as if Abraham has been kicking his heels while Emery has been turning Villa into a Premier League force.

Following his 26-goal spell at Villa, he had a great year at Chelsea before a big money move to Roma earned him a Conference League winners medal and a Europa League runners-up medal. He made a prolific start to life in Italy, even if the goals have dried up a little since then.

Last season was an injury-plagued campaign of frustration - and Villa already have several ACL recoveries of their own to manage - but he is still young enough to put that setback behind him. He'll feel he has unfinished business in England and if he is going to attack the Premier League in his prime, then there's worse places than Villa.

There's no doubt that Villa need competition and cover for the overworked talisman Ollie Watkins and, price and wages permitting, someone with a proven work ethic, mobility, a good goals record and experience of the Premier League should definitely be high up Monchi and Co's wanted list.

Joe Chapman

Villa are a club transformed since the last day Abraham would have set foot in Bodymoor Heath. They have been able to undergo said transformation thanks in no small part to his contribution while on loan a matter of years ago, however, so how fitting it would be if an agreement could be reached whereby he returns to the club and is able to enjoy the fruits of his on-loan labour?

It's clear Villa must increase the depth of their squad ahead of next season. The likes of Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings will need the patience of all concerned, as will Boubacar Kamara in time, after such long stints out of action. The intensity of the football they're going to face in Europe will be above and beyond what they faced last year and Unai Emery will need to be suitably equipped.

Ollie Watkins was admirable last year and his numbers in both G and A columns were highly impressive, but Emery clearly needs a genuine alternative in order to keep driving Watkins towards the numbers he craves and also to, as and when, relieve the pressure on the Spaniard's number one striker. Abraham knows staff aplenty and also the likes of Mings, John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey as well as the club itself so you wouldn't imagine it'd take much convincing if a move were to present itself to Abraham, particularly as Villa can now offer targets Champions League football.

Abraham said recently that he considers his time at Villa to be among the most enjoyable spells of his career and that he still watches Villa in action - how fitting it would be if, now, with injuries hopefully behind him and the striker coming into hopefully his best years, a reunion was to be on the cards.

Brian Dick

Do Villa need to strengthen their squad? Undoubtedly. Is striker a priority position? Not only a priority, it’s the priority. It’s a wonder to me that Watkins kept going as long as he did. I don’t think it’s too much of an exaggeration to say Villa’s 23/24 campaign dangled by the health of Watkins’ hamstring.

Should that extra help be Abraham? I’m not convinced. I love a happy ending. Really, I do.

Villa fans love Abraham and Abraham loves Villa – what’s not to like? Indeed the loyalty Abraham showed Villa when things weren’t going their way in the promotion season was something that stuck out for me.

On loan from Chelsea he could quite easily have returned to the Premier League and signed for local rivals Wolves. He didn’t, he stayed, and he played a vital part in helping Dean Smith ’s men get to the top flight. He’s clearly not only a good player, but a decent person too and that cannot be underestimated, particularly not in a situation where Watkins will undoubtedly be No. 1 in a system that requires only one striker.

However, I tend to be of the mind ‘don’t go back’. Things rarely work out as well second time as they do first and it would be sad to see Abraham tarnish his relationship with the club he says gave him some of the best moments of his career.

I’d also be wary about his recent injury. Abraham missed most of last season recovering from a serious knee injury sustained on the final day of the previous campaign. There’s no point judging his performances on his return because anyone would be rusty – but, for me, it’s another factor in the ‘cons’ column.

It’s also worth pointing out that having taken Serie A by storm in his first season in Italy, his second campaign was far less successful, with only nine goals in more than 50 games. It’s been two years since he was firing on all cylinders. So, overall, I’m not massively against Abraham coming back to Villa, I just think there needs to be a more rigorous recruitment process than one based on romance and convenience.

Do you think Villa should try to sign Tammy? Have your say here