“I was praying he’d sign” – Ian Wright reveals the man he wishes we’d got last summer

Ian Wright has admitted that he was ‘praying’ Tammy Abraham picked to join Newcastle on loan over Swansea last summer – feeling it would’ve been an ‘unbelievable place’ to score goals and develop under Benitez.

Let’s be fair here, Tammy got this wrong and we all called it at the time. It’s another case of ‘we told you so’, with the 20-year-old probably living to regret choosing Swansea over St James’ Park given how things have panned out.

He have 8 goals and 5 assists with the Swans in all competitions (meaning he’d be our top scorer if he replicated those numbers at NUFC), however he’s struggled for game time since the turn of the year.

He’s also not been playing under Paul Clement either – the man he knew well from his time at Chelsea who was sacked by Swansea earlier in the season.

Here’s what Wright has on BBC Radio 5Live last night, admitting that he was desperate to see the youngster pick Newcastle over Swansea last summer, feeling the move would’ve done wonders for his development:

 “I was praying that someone like Tammy Abraham went somewhere like there [Newcastle] and I keep saying it because it would be an unbelievable place to score goals at and build.

“Look at how they took to Andy Cole when he scored. I watched Tammy come on the other day against Man United and I’m seeing some improvement. But it is the kind of place under Rafa that with someone like Kenedy who he knows from Chelsea and he starts scoring goals.

“It’s the kind of place if he goes there under Rafa with someone like Kenedy that he knows from Chelsea, then all of a sudden he can start to bring in these players.””

It seemed at one stage that his move to St James’ Park was done, but it all changed late in the day and he chose Swansea instead.

He could’ve played under a world class manager in Benitez, at a bigger club and in front of 52,000 passionate Geordies, but instead opted for the safe route with Swansea, playing under a coach he knew well in Paul Clement – not that he lasted long..

A bad decision that he may live to regret – not that us Mags have any sympathy.

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