This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has made a bold decision to place his faith in young striker Tammy Abraham, who has made a promising start to the season.
Abraham, 21, has quickly found his feet in the Premier League, scoring twice against Norwich City and Sheffield United after a stuttering start in the opening two games.
"Today when you talk about character and enthusiasm to play for this club, Tammy's right up there," Lampard said after Abraham's brace against Norwich.
"He shows it every day. He can get better and better."
— Frank Lampard, Chelsea manager Abraham's progress has been impressive, offering pace and a physical presence up front, and his goals have confirmed the qualities that brought 25 goals in 37 league games during Aston Villa's promotion-winning campaign last season. However, the decision of Gareth Southgate to leave Abraham out of his recent England squad provided an early reality check, and Olivier Giroud has made it clear he has no intention of sitting back and accepting the role of deputy to a player 11 years his junior. "Obviously not," Giroud told Le Figaro this week when asked if he was resigned to being number two. "I have goals in my head. I'm here to help the next generation, but the time for retirement has not come. "I'm still hungry and have a lot of ambition. "I don't want to be Chelsea's No.2 striker, for sure. "Just because I'm here as an older brother for the younger players, it doesn't mean I'm out on the sidelines." — Olivier Giroud, Chelsea striker
