Jack Grealish Hints at Tammy Abraham Stay Amid Chelsea Recall, Transfer Rumours
Aston Villa winger Jack Grealish has hinted at an extended stay for striker Tammy Abraham amid rumours Abraham could return from his loan to Chelsea and make a switch to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Grealish took to Twitter to share this doctored image from the film The Wolf of Wall Street, depicting Abraham as the lead character (warning: NSFW language):
According to Stuart James of the Guardian, Abraham has been linked with Wolves at length but has now decided to stay at Villa Park for the rest of the season.
Tim Spiers of the Express and Star reported Wolves are still eager to make the deal happen, while also noting there could be issues with his eligibility:
The 21-year-old has already played for two clubs this season, featuring for Chelsea's academy team in the Premier League 2 before joining Villa on loan.
Under FIFA regulations players are only allowed to play for two clubs per season, and Hatem Ben Arfa was previously sidelined in a similar situation. He had featured for Newcastle's youth side and Hull City in the 2014-15 campaign and was deemed ineligible to play for Nice as a result.
The FA did allow Liam Walsh to play for three different clubs last season, however, raising even more questions.
According to James, Abraham has no interest in another loan deal but would be open to joining Wolves in a permanent transfer. If such a move went ahead and the forward was ruled ineligible for the remainder of the season, it could still be worthwhile for the Premier League side.
The Chelsea academy product has been in excellent form this season, powering Villa's bid to earn promotion from the Championship:
The Villans sit five points behind the play-off spots.
The loss of their ace striker would be a serious blow for Villa, who would have to use the January transfer window to find a replacement and hope they could find a player of similar quality who would need little time to adapt to his new surroundings.
Abraham's development at Villa Park has been stellar, and an extended stay would likely be a smart decision, even if it means he misses out on the chance to play Premier League football for now.