A transfer ban may be the best thing for Chelsea Football Club. For the first time in years, the Blues will have to make do with the players at manager Frank Lampard’s disposal, which means a number of youngsters could get a chance. The biggest opportunities could fall to two Chelsea forwards, who have actually been at the club for some time.
Last season’s leading scorer Eden Hazard is gone. Sold to Real Madrid, Hazard’s 16 Premier League goals are gone from the team. New signing Christian Pulisic has plenty of question marks around him. It feels safe to say he won’t ascend to be the next Hazard.
Two forwards that immediately stand out and could have big seasons for Chelsea are Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi. Both have waited for their opportunities to be Chelsea’s No. 9 and under Lampard, they could finally get their chance.
Chelsea Forwards: Tammy Abraham
Tammy Abraham has been waiting for his chance to break into the Chelsea first team for years. At just 21, Abraham has had loan spells at Bristol City, Swansea City, and Aston Villa.
The forward did not have much success at Swansea City in 2017-18, but neither did the club as a whole. Abraham still managed to score five goals in 31 appearances. He accumulated 1,706 minutes, for an average of just over 51 minutes per match.
Last season was Abraham’s break out year. On loan at Aston Villa, Abraham scored 25 goals in 37 Championship appearances. Five of those goals came from the penalty spot. Aston Villa picked up 1.70 points per match in Abraham’s league appearances.
It was his 25 goals that helped Aston Villa achieve promotion back to the Premier League after winning the promotion playoffs.
Abraham scored a goal every 126 minutes on the pitch. The forward will set Fantasy Premier League managers back £7 million.
Chelsea Forwards: Michy Batshuayi
Batshuayi spent the last 18 months on loan at three different clubs. He moved to Borussia Dortmund before joining Valencia and then Crystal Palace.
Last season saw Batshuayi spend time with Valencia and Crystal Palace. His time at the Mestalla was slightly forgettable. He scored just one goal in 15 appearances. In Batshuayi’s defence, Valencia were poor to begin the season and spent time near the bottom of the La Liga table.
Struggling for minutes, Batshuayi was sent back to Chelsea and on to Crystal Palace. He was more successful there scoring five goals in 11 matches accumulating 766 minutes. He averaged just over 69 minutes a match for the Eagles and exceeded his expected goals (xG) mark by 1.30 goals.
Batshuayi played 11 times and scored a total of 48 Fantasy Premier League points. He currently costs FPL managers just £7m.
This season could see both Abraham and Batshuayi excel. With the Blues facing a transfer ban, they could be two major factors in a successful season at Stamford Bridge.