Tammy Abraham was excited by Chelsea’s interest in Edinson Cavani and would have relished the opportunity to learn from the Paris Saint-Germain striker.
Chelsea had enquired about taking Cavani on loan for the rest of the season, although the Uruguayan ultimately remained at PSG as Frank Lampard missed out on bringing in a new forward.
Napoli’s Dries Mertens was also a target for the Blues and, while Abraham would have enjoyed the chance to play alongside a top-class striker, he is confident he can deliver the goods in upcoming games against Manchester United, Tottenham and Bayern Munich.
“The players we were talking about coming in, like Cavani and other top-class strikers, have been around the game for many years,” said Abraham after Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Leicester. “It would have been nice if he had come. He would have been someone I can learn off and steal his ideas to add to my own.
“It didn't happen though and, for me, it gives me that extra push and desire to claim my position and be the best I can. I think playing for a club like Chelsea, there is always going to be pressure.
"For me, it is about being in the right place at the right time and believing in myself and my abilities as well. I am sure I will score a few more. I like the pressure and I play under pressure.
“I can't complain, it has been a great season so far. I would like to push on. I would like to push on in the Champions League. Also, there are still massive games coming up. I just have to be ready for them and take my opportunities."
With Chelsea failing to sign a new striker in the January transfer window, Olivier Giroud was not allowed to leave, having attracted interest from Tottenham, Inter and Lazio.
Giroud was left out of the game at Leicester and, having seen his professionalism praised by Lampard ahead of that fixture, the France international’s attitude has also applauded by Abraham.
Getty Images“He is like a big brother to me," said Abraham. "His attitude to me has been great. In training, we are always doing finishing and we have a competition after training as well. It is nice to have that because I have grown up watching him because he is a fantastic striker.
"He has been encouraging many of the young lads. These things happen in football, sometimes you are at the top and sometimes you are not. It is about staying professional and as focused as you can to keep trying.”
Meanwhile, Abraham will appreciate getting time off with Chelsea heading into the winter break, which has been put in place by the Premier League for the first time ahead of Euro 2020 this summer.
Abraham has established himself as Chelsea’s first-choice striker this season and has scored 15 goals, but he required a pain-killing injection to overcome bruising on his ankle in order to face Leicester.
“It is good to be back involved and back on my feet and now we have a break to try and get better," Abraham added. "My ankle is still painful but sometimes as players, you have to play through pain. For me it just about getting out there and helping the team.
"The medicine started to wear off in the second half but I will take this break to recover. I am always eager to help the team as much as possible, even if I am not feeling 100% like today. Now it is the break and we have time to reflect about football for a week and come back all guns blazing.
“I am definitely in favour of it [having the break]. I can't wait. It is needed really after a long, hard first few months of the season. It is time to recover and get our bodies back to normal. It can [help England in the summer], it is our first time ever trying it and we are buzzing.
"I need some sun and plan to put my feet up and relax in Dubai. We have had a lot of ups and downs. We started off well, we had a spell when we were losing a bit and now we are starting to pick up our form. This break will do us good because we have some massive games coming up.
“Mentally and physically, we all need this. It was getting to that point in the season where people start to get leggy and a few injuries come in. But with this break now we can take time off and recover our minds and bodies."