Abraham in the right place at the right time at Bristol City

It’s always easy to get carried away when a youngster enjoys a run of form, but then what constitutes a ‘run’. Three games? Five? How about 14? That’s the case for Tammy Abraham, who is one of the now famous 38 out on loan from Chelsea, taking the Championship by storm with Bristol City.

The striker, who turned 19 on Sunday, the day after scoring his eighth league goal of the season to take him clear in the second tier’s top scorer charts, is understandably generating quite a buzz.

There are even suggestions that he could be in Chelsea’s first team plans before long, which would not seem a strong statement were it not for the club’s propensity to ship players out on loan before selling for profit. The pressure on the Blues to buy the best talent on the continent often sees players from the club’s esteemed academy overlooked, though it’s worth mentioning that the fans certainly wish that wasn’t the case.

As far as Abraham is concerned, however, his exploits are pretty unavoidable right now. In the past week, as well as moving clear in the top scorer charts - having already set his sights on that goal come the end of the season - the teenager received his first England U21 call up and was named SkyBet Championship player of the month, netting four league goals in September.

Indeed, it’s been quite the start to life in senior first team football, having only made his Blues debut against Liverpool in May. Adjusting to the ‘rigours’ of the game outside of England’s top-flight, Abraham has already come in for some special treatment. "I was on the floor at Sheffield (Wednesday) and someone kicked me in the back as they ran past," Abraham confirmed. "I got angry but my team-mates calmed me down. That doesn't happen in Under 23!"

He was punched in the face against Leeds weeks later, but it’s the sort of attention he is bound to receive for numerous reasons, with City manager Lee Johnson claiming that it will only improve him as a player and a character. "He got hit a couple of times and it was a good game for him.

"When defenders do that to him, it is a compliment really." The young manager went on to say "If I was a defender, I definitely wouldn't want to mark him. He's tall, he's rangy, he makes good runs, he is sharp, he has good feet and he can finish." The idea of a now slightly portly 5’6” Johnson getting to grips with the gangly 6’3” Abraham is certainly humorous if you see pictures of the two together.

Formerly it was a little and large strike partnership that was often so successful but the relationship between manager and player has been strong ever since Johnson visited the youngster’s home in order to convince him that Bristol City was the right place for his development. The Robins boss, building a considerable reputation of his own at present, is certainly Abraham’s strongest advocate right now.

"It sounds crazy but Tammy is a proven goalscorer at 18 (now 19)," Johnson stated. "When you see the way he plays, the movement, he's just got that art and that skill." He has gone on record to say that the teen ‘could get into Chelsea’s team now’, a strong assumption given the current form of Diego Costa, also stating that in today’s market the striker could be worth £50m.

Both suggestions are of course exaggerated but his parent club are certainly monitoring Abraham's progress closely. First team coach Eddie Newton recently admitted “We are keeping a close eye on him but the thing I like about Tammy is that he takes on board good advice, works and puts it into action as well. I see a bright future for the young man, I really do.”

It’s this willingness to improve and learn from the experience of others that is certainly most refreshing, and something that Bristol City teammate Lee Tomlin also admires. "Tammy's a bright and clever player and the thing I really like about him is he's willing to listen and learn. He's always asking questions and he wants to know how things work.” Tomlin, who has played with plenty of promising young loanees in his time in England’s lower leagues continued, “That is not always the case with players from Chelsea. No matter how young they are, they can think they are better than anyone else. Tammy is not like that."

This ability to keep his feet on the ground whilst no doubt continuing to be knocked off them will be so crucial to the future of Chelsea’s latest hot prospect. Targeted due to his age, height and frame, Abraham doesn’t really fit the stereotype of a tall front man. Likened by Tomlin, both in terms of stature and technical ability, to former Premier League striker Nwankwo Kanu, the 19-year old is far from a target man. Indeed, when looking at his statistical weaknesses according to WhoScored.com of ‘aerial duels’ and ‘holding on to the ball’, that side of his game is what most needs to develop if Abraham is to realise his considerable potential.

Click here to see Abraham's full statistics from the 2016/17 Championship season so far

Instead, the youngster relies on his mobility and intelligent movement off the ball to maximise his impressive finishing, unsurprisingly deemed ‘very strong’ in that regard statistically. His ability to find himself in scoring positions just yards from the goal is a skill that is often underestimated, with Johnson last month claiming on the Football on 5 show that Abraham’s goal haul probably came from a grand total of about 18-yards! Indeed, with 4 goals from within the six-yard box and not a single shot - let alone goal - from outside the box, it's clear that Bristol City have acquired a real poacher.

His ability to link up with teammates makes Abraham more than just that, though. He has two assists to his name, while a pass accuracy of 76.4% is strong for a striker in any league, not least the Championship. As he adapts to the style of play at Bristol this side of his game is improving all the time, with Tomlin admitting that he questioned whether the youngster had what it takes to fit after failing to read ‘a couple of balls round the corner' when he first arrived. Tomlin claimed, "I told him that's how it was here and he had to be on his toes and he accepted that and understood."

Having adapted quickly to the approach at Ashton Gate then, the hope for both his parent and loan club will be that the teenager can add the physicality to his game that at present could represent something of a ceiling for his talents. For the time being the circumstances are ideal for all parties and while this purple patch is unlikely to remain quite so vibrant, Abraham is in the right place at the right time in terms of both his development and on-pitch exploits.

Chelsea are certainly in a win-win position. Not only do they have a young prospect realising his potential at a decent level but whilst he does so his stock will continue to rise. Bristol City seems an unlikely long-term home after all, with Johnson recently quipping “If there was a 0.000000001% chance to sign Tammy permanently I'd be starting the whip round!”

Blues fans, however, will no doubt hope that Tammy Abraham is one of a rare few that the club decide to bank on themselves rather than cashing in.

How impressed have you been with Abraham's form this season? Let us know in the comments below