Has Tammy Abraham Returned to Aston Villa from Besiktas?
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Key Takeaways
London, Jan 28 (NationPress) England striker Tammy Abraham has finalized his return to Aston Villa from Besiktas, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League title challengers.
The 28-year-old makes his comeback to English football for the first time since transferring to Roma in 2021. Abraham had been on loan at Besiktas, but the Turkish team exercised their £11 million purchase option from Roma on Monday. Reports indicate that Villa will pay Besiktas a transfer fee of €21 million, according to Xinhua.
Aston Villa's manager Unai Emery has been actively searching for more striking options to complement Ollie Watkins and has shown a long-term interest in Abraham. The forward previously spent the 2018-19 season on loan at Villa, significantly contributing to their promotion from the Championship by scoring 26 goals in 40 matches.
"Certain clubs play a pivotal role in your journey and remain with you," Abraham stated.
"I've scored goals, encountered challenges, and evolved both as a player and as a person. I'm back at Aston Villa, prepared to work hard and give my all," he added.
Abraham was a crucial member of the Villa squad that achieved promotion to the Premier League in the 2018/19 season, netting 25 league goals and executing the decisive penalty in the shootout victory over West Bromwich Albion that propelled the club to the Play-Off Final at Wembley.
His remarkable goalscoring record that season made him the first Villa player since Andy Gray in 1976/77 to score 25 times in a single campaign.
Following his departure from Villa Park, he went on to clinch the UEFA Champions League title with Chelsea and later assisted AS Roma in winning the UEFA Europa Conference League.
As part of this deal, teenage Villa midfielder Yasin Ozcan, who has been on loan at Anderlecht this season, will move to Besiktas.