Tammy Abraham said his goal was still to play for Chelsea while the striker focuses on returning Aston Villa to the Premier League

CROSSED FINGERS

Tammy Abraham said his dream was still to play for Chelsea while he was preparing to help bring Aston Villa back to the Premier League.

Abraham started the season as Chelsea's third-choice striker, behind Álvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud, who only appeared as a substitute in the defeat of the Community Shield against Manchester City in August.

In search of a regular playing time, the 21-year-old decided to qualify for the championship and scored 26 goals to help Villa qualify for the final of the playoffs where she will face Derby at Wembley today. 39; hui – a match that you can listen to. LIVE on talkSPORT.

He is the first player to reach so many goals for Villa in one season since Andy Gray in 1976/77.

"It's a successful season. I came here with something in mind: score goals and help lead a team to the finals. That's what I've done so far, "he told Chelsea's official website.

"The main [area of improvement] must be hold-up play. Entering a league where it is very physical and where there are also very good teams, sometimes the only option is to be a targeted man.

"I was this target man for Aston Villa, though, having grown up in Chelsea, you are not really a target man at a young age!

"You mostly have the ball on the ground. I took this in my game. Because of my size and appearance, I sometimes have to become a target man. It's something that I had to improve and I think I did. "

The academy graduate, who has only made three first-team appearances for Chelsea, said he had studied how Didier Drogba and Diego Costa were playing in the attack.

"Yes, I enjoyed it. I like to be physical sometimes. I grew up watching [Didier] Drogba, more recently [Diego] Costa, and learned how the best use their bodies and brains. I like that.

It's not just "nicey nicey" football – sometimes you have to show your brutal side and show your strength. I am a strong boy and I have to use it. "

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The compatriots of Chelsea, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount will be on the opposite side when Abraham enters the field at Wembley and the Villa striker said that he had discussed this meeting earlier in the season.

"I spoke with Fikayo on the phone, even before the Derby match against West Brom [which they won to make the play-offs]. I said, "You left them until the last game!"

"Fik and I said at the beginning of the season," Maybe we can both play in the play-offs, "and we're both, it's a dream to play a final against him after He grew up together, and so did Mason, who had a fantastic first season on loan in the championship, broke it, it's good to have the Chelsea Boys in the final! "

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While Chelsea is facing a transfer ban and it's unlikely that Gonzalo Higuain will stay at Stamford Bridge, there's only one more Olivier Giroud at the Blues.

"Yeah, [my goal remains playing for Chelsea]. This is the team for which I grew up and where I have been since the age of seven, "he said.

"Making my Chelsea debut was a dream come true and I want it again and again. That's the goal, and I'm crossing my fingers. "