AS Roma confirmed the signing of Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham after they agreed to pay a fee of €40 million for the 23-year-old England international in instalments over the next three seasons. Abraham’s move to the Stadio Olimpico ends his association with Chelsea, a club he joined fourteen years ago.
AS Roma Sign Tammy Abraham From Chelsea
Tammy Set to Link Up With Jose Mourinho Again
Abraham rose through the ranks at Chelsea, graduating from the famed Cobham academy and playing an important role in the club’s youth team success as they won the UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup double in 2015 and 2016. His performance for the youth team earned him a first-team debut under Guus Hiddink in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool in the 2015/16 season.
The following season, Chelsea sent Abraham to Bristol City on loan, and further spells at Swansea City and Aston Villa followed. Abraham helped Villa return to the English Premier League in his time at the club. The striker was included as part of the first team in the 2019/20 season under Frank Lampard, and he helped the club reach the final of the FA Cup alongside fellow academy graduates; Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi. In the following season, he played a bit-part role after the dismissal of Lampard and appointment of Thomas Tuchel but was part of the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup-winning sides.
Less Game Time Under Tuchel For Tammy Abraham
In an interview at the start of the 2021/22 season, Tuchel admitted to having been a tad unfair to Abraham in the way he gave him minutes on the pitch. The striker failed to get any minutes for Chelsea in the 2021/22 season games before he completed his transfer to AS Roma. The striker had been informed that Tuchel could not count on him for goals very early in the German’s Chelsea career and even suffered the ignominy of being substituted at halftime under the German manager on more than one occasion.
The striker had a very respectable return for the club as he contributed 30 goals and 12 assists in 82 appearances for the club over two seasons. He led the scoring in both of his seasons with the first team. Abraham’s transfer from Chelsea was fast-tracked by the club securing the services of old boy Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan. Abraham was drafted in by the club in its most challenging period in 2019 after a successful series of loan spells. The club was unable to sign any players due to a transfer ban, and Lampard had to make do with the Academy graduates. Abraham excelled by many standards, but the club did not see him as an elite #9 that could lead them to the title.
Chelsea retains a buyback option worth €80 million on the 23-year-old which can be activated from the summer of 2023. Abraham would join up with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, under whom he trained as a teenager. The AS Roma manager played an important role in convincing Abraham to sign for his side. Abraham has some big shoes to fill at the Stadio Olimpico. He is expected to replace former captain Edin Dzeko, who moved to Inter Milan as a replacement for Lukaku after Chelsea signed the Belgian. The England international knows how to score goals, and he would surely bag loads of them in Italy.
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