In the fast-paced world of modern soccer transfers, few stories capture the absurdity and intrigue quite like Tammy Abraham’s recent whirlwind journey from AS Roma to Beşiktaş and then to Aston Villa. What began as a loan spell in Turkey culminated in one of the shortest permanent stints in soccer history—less than 30 hours—raising eyebrows across the sport.
Abraham, the 28-year-old England international, scored 13 goals in 26 appearances for Beşiktaş during his loan from AS Roma, proving his value on the pitch. But the off-field maneuvers have sparked debates: Was this a masterclass in opportunistic business, or does it hint at darker undercurrents like money laundering in the beautiful game?
How It Went Down
Abraham’s career path has been well-documented. After breaking through at Chelsea and enjoying a prolific loan at Aston Villa in 2018-19—where he netted 25 Championship goals and helped secure promotion via the play-offs—he moved permanently to Roma in 2021 for $45M under Jose Mourinho.
He initially thrived there, scoring 27 goals in his debut season and contributing to their Europa Conference League win. But injury and form dips led to loans: first to AC Milan in 2024-25, then to Beşiktaş in summer 2025 on a deal with an obligation-to-buy clause.
As reported by ESPN on January 26, 2026, Beşiktaş announced Abraham’s permanent signing after fulfilling conditions, paying Roma around $15M .
And then the plot thickened. One day later, Aston Villa confirmed Abraham’s return to Birmingham on a four-and-a-half-year contract. Beşiktaş received $24.5M. Additionally, Turkish midfielder Yasin Özcan went on loan (with a purchase option) in the other direction. Surely this was internet madness? But no, I checked and both BBC Sport and Sky Sports confirmed both the fee and the timeline.
Beşiktaş profited over $9.5M instantly without Abraham ever suiting up in the black and white kit as a permanent player. Social media reactions were swift, with Instagram posts describing Abraham’s tenure in Istanbul as “less than 30 hours” and “business done, €8m profit”
The Athletic provided deeper insight, claiming that Unai Emery pushed for the reunion to bolster Villa’s title challenge.
Furthermore, Abraham himself waived earnings to facilitate the move, prioritizing a Premier League return to give him greater visibility for a potential World Cup push. Finally, Beşiktaş, who were initially reluctant to move without a replacement, agreed to the flip.
Good Business? Or Shady Dealing?
On the surface, this appears shrewd business. Beşiktaş eased their financial pressures in the Super Lig with a quick windfall. The Abraham deal is the second highest transfer fee in the club’s history, and the sixth highest in Turkish soccer. Aston Villa secured a familiar goal-scorer below market value. Tammy Abraham returned to England happily.
Yet the lightning speed fueled suspicions. One YouTube channel (Football-AI), questioned the optics, blunting asking: “Is this smart management? Money laundering in football? Or shady backroom European deals?”
Bypassing UEFA Financial Fair Play rules via inflated transfers or other shady operations isn’t new or unique to the beautiful game. Turkish sides have faced intense scrutiny on this, mainly due to the tremendous debt carried by the league’s “Big Four” (Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, and Trabzonspor). In fact, Beşiktaş was fined over $1M in 2025 for breaching the Turkish squad cost rule (which caps spending on squad wages, transfers, and agents as a percentage of revenue).
I will be clear: no concrete evidence points to illegality here. But the deals structure likely navigated through, past or over tax, regulatory, or negotiation hurdles. AS Roma received prompt payment. Aston Villa avoided direct negotiations with the Italians. Beşiktaş profited handsomely. Abraham’s performance justified value, and all parties operated transparently via public announcements.
The Takeaway
Still, the one-day flip remains unprecedented. Only the 2006 transfer of defensive midfielder Dietmar Hamann between Liverpool → Bolton Wanderers (on free) → Manchester City (for over $500K) approaches it for alacrity (but not value).
And it still leaves fans wondering: Good business, or a clever money laundering play? Abraham’s debut in the claret and blue didn’t yield much as Villa lost to 10-man Brentford 1 – 0. He played for 90 minutes, took three shots (one on frame) and missed one big chance. He did score, but that goal was called back for offsides after VAR review. His passing accuracy was 54%, and he won 40% of his two duels (aerial and ground). Right now, the jury is out on both questions.
Gary is a former soccer player at an amateur level, has a sharp sense for trends and stats and knows how to make bets on the beautiful game.
