Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has confirmed that striker Tammy Abraham will remain at the club and is not expected to leave during the transfer window closing on Tuesday night.
The 28-year-old forward joined Villa in January from Beşiktaş for a reported fee of £18 million. Since his arrival, Abraham has struggled to find consistent form, scoring just twice in the league. Nevertheless, both goals proved vital, including a late equaliser against Leeds United and a decisive winning strike in a match against Sunderland.
Abraham made a substitute appearance in Aston Villa’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Monday evening. Despite speculation linking him with a loan move to Ipswich Town, Emery has now stated that Abraham intends to stay with Villa.
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Reports had suggested that Ipswich and Villa had reached an agreement on a loan deal, pending the player’s approval. However, Emery revealed in a recent interview that while Villa had been open to letting the striker leave, Abraham chose to remain part of the squad.
“Tammy is returning to the Premier League. I have spoken with him; he needs time but must adapt quickly,” Emery explained. “He did not perform as we hoped last year. We currently have one key striker, Jackson, with whom we are very pleased. Madjo is injured, and Tammy has decided to stay here with us.”
“We opened the door for him, but he has chosen to stay. I will be demanding of him to contribute his qualities to the team,” Emery added.
With the transfer deadline closing at 11pm on Tuesday, it appears Abraham’s future now lies with Aston Villa as he continues to compete for first-team opportunities.