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Topics: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tammy Abraham, Football, Premier League, Transfers, Roma, AS Roma, Serie A
Rory O'Callaghan
Topics: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tammy Abraham, Football, Premier League, Transfers, Roma, AS Roma, Serie A
Tammy Abraham has revealed he was keen to join Arsenal from Chelsea before a mystery phone call scuppered the proposed transfer.
Abraham, 25, left Chelsea in 2021 to reunite with Jose Mourinho at Roma, with the Italian side paying £34m to sign the England international on a five-year deal.
It immediately looked like a shrewd piece of business, with Abraham hitting the ground running in his first season in Italy.
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He scored 27 goals in all competitions and finished the campaign with silverware after Roma beat Feyenoord in the inaugural Europa Conference League final.
Abraham has found his second season abroad a much sterner test, managing only seven goals in 38 appearances.
But he retains the backing of Roma boss Mourinho, who played a key role in convincing the striker to move to Italy.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, Abraham has revealed he was keen to move to Arsenal in 2021 before he received a call from an unknown number, which turned out to be Mourinho.
"It was time to move on from Chelsea, and I was talking to various clubs in England and Europe," Abraham said.
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"My focus was on a certain London club. I didn't have to move anywhere, I was familiar with the area… it was Arsenal. My dad is a massive Arsenal fan, so he was very keen on it, and everything was going well.
"Then Jose called. I never usually answer numbers I don't have saved in my contacts. But he said, 'Hi Tammy, it's Jose.' I was like, 'Wow, that's a surprise!' He asked how the family was.
"I was familiar with him because he knew me as a kid at Chelsea. He asked me, 'Are you ready to leave the bad weather behind and come to sunny Rome?' I laughed, we spoke a bit more, he told me about the project, his ambitions for the team."
"He'd only been at the club a short time, but explained what he'd seen and what it was like," Abraham added.
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"I spoke to my agents and they said it was a no-brainer, the perfect time to start a new life, to go abroad and learn about a different culture. I was so ready for it, and I haven't looked back since."
While he is no doubt enjoying his new life in Italy, Abraham continues to be linked with a return to the Premier League. Manchester United have sent scouts to watch the striker, while Chelsea could opt to bring him back to Stamford Bridge after inserting a £70m buy-back clause in their deal with Roma.