Real reason Tammy Abraham snubbed Super Eagles for England

Tammy Abraham may have turned down the opportunity to play for Nigeria, because his manager, Paul Clement, is British.

According to Classic FM’s Temisan Okomi, it is easier to persuade a Nigerian players to choose the Super Eagles over England, if their club manager is not British.

In a series of posts on his Twitter page, Okomi also confirmed that the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, met with Abraham last weekend and convinced him to play for his home country.

However, as soon as Clement granted an interview last weekend, the 19-year-old had a change of mind .

Okomi wrote: “Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina & Victor Moses all had one thing in common; non-English coaches + strong Nigerian player influence when they switched.

“Tammy Abraham, on loan at Swansea, is coached by Paul Clement. He’s English.

As soon as Tammy’s switch was looking imminent; Clement spoke.

“It’s an unofficial rule in England, doesn’t matter who the player is or the country looking for him; try to stop the move. It is what it is.

“I understand from a few sources that Tammy’s family were really excited about the prospect of him playing for Naija.

“No surprises there. His father is a Nigerian true & true. @PinnickAmaju @Amawas excited as well. A chance to bring another talent in.

“Apologies to Amawas in that last tweet. Blame my phone. So. Things are moving swimmingly & all is ready for Tammy to make the move

“Then he has that decent game last weekend, tells his coach he’s off to see the NFF Prez. & before that’s done, his coach talks to media.

“As soon as Paul Clement gave that interview, that was it. Tammy is 19 & British by birth. That kind of pressure isn’t easy to bear.

“I remember one top NFF official telling me then, when they spoke to Wenger about Iwobi. Wenger said: ‘You’re lucky I’m not English’.

“Tammy would do well to remember Jordan Ibe. But the kid is 19. Everybody thinks their case will be different. Or even Chuba Akpom.

“In retrospect, all parties could’ve been a lil more discreet. But I’m sure they didn’t think it was a big deal. It was.

“Tammy is decent enough, but if he wants England, so be it. 3pts gap in our World Cup qualifier. We’ll tell Iwobi to get Tammy a souvenir.”

Credit: Daily Post

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