Abraham to snub Nigeria if England call
Tammy Abraham is ready to accept an England call-up if Gareth Southgate picks the striker in his squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria.
And that could seal Abraham’s international future, dashing Nigeria’s hopes of poaching him.
Southgate names his squad for England’s double header on Thursday, with Abraham waiting to see whether his good form for Chelsea will earn him a place in the squad.
Nigeria have been attempting to convince Abraham to switch his international allegiance, even though the 21-year-old has already won two senior England caps in friendlies.
Abraham has not publicly committed himself to either country, but it is understood he wants to play for England and would accept a call from Southgate if it came.
He qualifies for Nigeria through his father, who is close friends with Amaju Pinnick, the president of the Nigerian Football Federation.
Were Abraham to make an appearance for England, he would be committed to them for the rest of his career because the two games are European Championship qualifiers. Abraham has netted seven goals in the Premier League this season, one less than Sergio Aguero, which makes him the highest-scoring Englishman in the top flight.
Southgate revealed that Abraham was very much on his radar during the last international break in which he selected Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Callum Wilson as strikers. A fitness check is to be made on Rashford. Southgate’s staff have requested Abraham’s medical records from Chelsea ahead of the squad announcement.
Other than Abraham, Nigeria are also interested in trying to poach his Chelsea team-mate, Fikayo Tomori, 21, who has represented England and Canada at youth level. Tomori has already been rewarded for his impressive Chelsea performances with the offer of a new deal.