Tammy Abraham has loved life under Mourinho since moving to Roma in 2021, and while the striker is in no hurry to leave Serie A – or pesto – behind, he’s not ruling out a Chelsea return…
Words Alasdair Mackenzie
Tammy Abraham beams with health and happiness as the leonine forward strides gracefully into a small meeting room at Roma’s training ground. Life is good. This isn’t, admittedly, the usual effect that FourFourTwo has on people – the marksman became a father for the first time a few days before we meet. “I don’t think the feeling has kicked in yet,” he grins proudly. Baby Amari’s arrival brought even more joy into a life that has looked rosy ever since the 25-year-old decided to – as Jose Mourinho put it – swap the rain of London for the sunshine of Rome in the summer of 2021.
Adapting to a new team in a new league presented few complications as Abraham plundered 27 goals in all competitions in his first season with the Giallorossi, the most by a Roma debutant since Rodolfo Volk in 1930. Crucially, it’s not just time on the pitch he’s enjoying. The food, history and language of his new home are as much a part of the Englishman’s maiden overseas adventure. “Pesto is my favourite dish - it’s not Roman, but I could eat that every day,” he reveals. “I never had it before in England, so coming here was the first time.”
For a man who professes he “used to love history at school”, Abraham finds himself in a pretty good place. “Seeing the Colosseum in person was an amazing feeling,” he says.
As for the language, the Londoner has risen to the challenge with enthusiasm, motivated perhaps by the efforts of friend Fikayo Tomori up north in Milan. His ex-Chelsea team-mate impressed when stepping up for post-match interviews in Italian, something Tammy has also been brave enough to have a crack at. “When I first arrived, everyone was speaking English with me, but as time has gone on people are starting to speak more Italian,” he explains. “I’m picking up a few words – for anything I don’t know, I’ll ask what it means. I can get around, understanding some of the language and trying to speak it.”
It’s a new life, a new world. In less than two seasons, Abraham has gone from the frustrated fringes of the Chelsea squad to a star of a Roma side that’s electrified one of Italy’s most passionate fanbases and ended a 14-year trophy drought in last campaign’s Europa Conference League. The No.9 was the Giallorossi’s top scorer in the competition.
It al
