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Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has claimed that current AS Roma forward Tammy Abraham would be a perfect fit for Mikel Arteta's side. The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner has also compared the 24-year-old to former Arsenal ace Emmanuel Adebayor due to his 'physical presence'.
Abraham has been on fire for Jose Mourinho's side following his mega-money €40 million switch from Chelsea last summer. He has already netted 23 times across all competitions in 41 games, including 15 strikes in Serie A.
In doing so, the England international broke the record for most goals scored for Roma in a debut season, surpassing legendary striker Gabriel Batistuta. The Argentine scored 21 goals for Roma in his maiden season at the Stadio Olimpico.
Gunners icon Emmanuel Petit believes that the 24-year-old would 'fit perfectly at Arsenal'. Petit told Getting Casino:
"Of course. He reminds me of Emmanuel Adebayor, his physical presence in the penalty area. Abraham’s reaction when he arrived at Roma has been brilliant because he’s scored 15 [league] goals and has so many assists, so he’s enjoying his football there. He went to Italy with the feeling of revenge for what happened at Chelsea."
"He’s not stupid, he will see what’s going on with the strikers at Chelsea with Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, they’re struggling. So maybe he’s thinking, ‘it would have been worse for me if I had stayed at Chelsea’. He made the right decision and he’s having a great season with Roma."
Petit has insisted that Abraham will want to return to England and touted the Gunners as his ideal destination. The 51-year-old has suggested that Abraham would offer his former club a different dimension to Alexandre Lacazette but is yet an unfinished product. He said:
"I’m pretty sure he wants to come back to England and he would fit perfectly at Arsenal because he’s a different player to Alexandre Lacazette with a different style, different physique and he’s a goalscorer. Even at Chelsea, he was scoring goals, not as many as he wanted but he’s 24 years old so he still has a lot to learn."
Should Arsenal make a move for Tammy Abraham?
It is quite evident that Arsenal desperately need a new number nine this summer and signing one will be Mikel Arteta's top priority in the summer. Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah's contracts are expiring in the summer and they have not been extended yet. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Barcelona on a free transfer in the winter window.
Abraham was once strongly linked with the club as per a Football London report last August. However, he eventually joined Roma, which has so far turned out to be a good decision.
The Englishman has proved to be a quality centre-forward and it is understood that he is an in-demand player in the Premier League.
A tall and strong striker who is also pretty quick, Abraham has everything Mikel Arteta should be looking for in his number nine. However, the former Chelsea striker is certain to cost a fortune and that might deter the Gunners.
