Tammy Abraham reveals hilarious way Jose Mourinho convinced him to join Roma – as the England star makes Chelsea Champions League prediction
Tammy Abraham has opened up on his move from Chelsea to Roma and revealed the role that Jose Mourinho played in it.
Abraham, 27, came through the youth ranks at Stamford Bridge before he broke into the first team in 2019-20 following successful loan spells at Bristol City, Swansea City and Aston Villa.
He scored 30 goals in 82 games for his boyhood club, but joined Roma for £34million in the summer of 2021 in search of more regular gametime after falling down the pecking order with the Blues.
At Roma, he linked up with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and the pair enjoyed a successful time in the Italian capital, winning the Europa Conference League in 2021-22, before they lost in the Europa League final the following season.
And, speaking to BBC Sport’s Away Goals show, Abraham opened up on how Mourinho convinced him to take the plunge abroad.
‘I was on the Playstation with my friends,’ Abraham recalled. ‘I received a call, I picked up and I said hello.
Tammy Abraham has revealed how Jose Mourinho convinced him to join Roma in 2021
Mourinho joined the Italian side from Chelsea for £34m in search of more regular gametime
Abraham scored 30 goals in 82 games for his boyhood club after coming through the academy
‘And he said, “hello Tammy it’s Jose. Do you want to stay in rainy England or come to sunny Rome?”.
‘And I remember just running upstairs and telling my parents and we thought Rome was the place to go.’
Abraham enjoyed a fruitful time under the iconic Portuguese coach, netting 27 times in 53 games during his first campaign.
He added a further nine strikes in his second season, before Abraham suffered a serious knee injury and missed most of the 2023-24 campaign, by which time Mourinho had been sacked by the club.
And, despite the sad ending to their time together, Mourinho was hailed by Abraham for the impact he had on his career.
‘Jose was one of the best coaches I have had,’ he said. ‘He was a manager, he always believed in what he believed in and as a player you feel the energy and you kind of buy into that.
‘I don’t regret one thing, I’ve loved it and it’s been amazing.’
Abraham will always have a spot spot for Chelsea given his background at the club, with the striker part of a famous youth team that also included the likes of Mason Mount, Trevoh Chalobah, Dominic Solanke and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Abraham hailed Mourinho’s management style and opened up on the impact he had on him
He also revealed that Mourinho convinced him to join with a quip about the Italian weather
Abraham similarly praised Chelsea and backed them to make the top four under Enzo Maresca
The 27-year-old moved to AC Milan on a season-long loan in the summer and has scored twice
Abraham continues to follow the club’s progress from afar under Enzo Maresca and insisted he felt the good times were on their way at Stamford Bridge.
‘They have a good team,’ he said. ‘Players like Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson. I would like to see them finish in the top four because they have 50 players or something like that who are all good players so they can do it.
‘Hopefully (we can play them in the Champions League next year), that would be nice.’
Abraham joined AC Milan on a season-long loan in the summer, with the 27-year-old linking up with his former Chelsea team-mates Loftus-Cheek, Christian Pulisic and Fikayo Tomori at the San Siro.
He is still settling into life with Paulo Fonseca’s side having scored just twice, but revealed he is relishing another new challenge in a career that has also seen him win 11 England caps.
‘Milan has been amazing,’ he explained. ‘My whole life I grew up in London, so it was a privilege to move to Rome, and now Milan.
‘I want to look back on my career and be like I really lived in places like Rome and Milan and be able to say that I’ve embraced the culture.’
