'I Always Wanted To Play For England' - One Possible Reason Why Chelsea's Abraham Snubbed Eagles Despite NFF Approach

Published: January 13, 2020

Chelsea striker of Nigerian parentage, Tammy Abraham has revealed that he had it at the back of his mind that he was going to play international football for England.

Twice, Nigeria Football Federation President Amaju Pinnick went on a wild goose chase to London attempting to convince Abraham to pledge his international future to Nigeria but was unsuccessful.

The long-drawn debate on Abraham's international future finally ended on October 11, 2019 when Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate handed him his competitive debut against Czech Republic in a European Championship qualifier, cap-tying him to the 1966 world champions in the process.

Speaking to Chelsea's official website, Abraham explained : "I’m always ambitious and it’s always at the back of my mind.

"Growing up, I always wanted to play for England and now I have the opportunity so I’ll try to grab it with two hands.

"There’s probably more pressure being Chelsea’s number nine but I’m enjoying myself and I just have to keep doing that.

"It’s about staying focused on Chelsea, going out there every game and doing my best, getting the wins and then I can focus on the summer with England."

Abraham's Chelsea teammate, Fikayo Tomori, was also being targeted by the Nigeria Football Federation until be made his debut against Kosovo in a Euro qualifier on November 17.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : chelseafc.com