London born, Chelsea raised, England international, but it’s Rome where he’s becoming a star. Tammy Abraham was one of the pearls of the Chelsea academy, But when the time came to settle in the first team, to fulfill his dream, everything went wrong. After a good breakthrough, the Londoner lost his place in the club of his life.
The last summer, Jose Mourinho, a living legend on the bench and with a proven track record in the blue team, knocked on his door. The one from Setúbal, who knows what it’s like to train elite strikers (Benzema, Drogba…), saw in Tammy the potential to become a Calcio star. The problem? She had to convince Tammy that her dream could be fulfilled away from London.
In an interview with The Athletic, Tammy Abraham recognizes what was the beginning of the solution and the capital importance of the Mourinho factor to end up changing shirts. “I will never forget the first thing Jose said to me. ‘Do you want to stay in England in the rain or come to enjoy the sun in Rome?’ We had a great chat. He has been very guilty that he is here today, “explains the striker. So good is their relationship that Abraham even dared to confess the affectionate nickname he gave his coach. “I call him ‘my uncle from Italy,'” he added as a joke.
The Eternal City, the one that understands so much about seeing men grow and make themselves known in this city that was the capital of an entire empire, has seen how one more grows now in the green between the Olympic slopes. For Tammy, leaving the house served to be recognized as a man. “It’s funny that you say it to me like that because my father used the same words. It’s hard when you grow up in a club and lose your place. It’s not easy, but I’ve come here and it’s like a dream come true. I am no longer a youth squad, they have made me a star. They look at me different. That’s what I needed. I needed that confidence in myself. Being able to think ‘You know what? I can make a lot of noise here,’ he sentenced.
In addition, he assured, that in that exit he had references and people who gave him confidence. Among them, two who also grew up in Italy after leaving England: Salah and Lukaku, in addition to De Bruyne, who shone again at Wolfsburg. “From the first day I set foot here, that was my goal. I have seen players from the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah and Lukaku leaving Chelsea and spreading their wings. They are the best players in the world. For me, it’s about doing the same thing and even if it’s not the Premier League, it’s about going out and learning a different culture and experiencing different things. It’s about saying, ‘You know what? This is my moment'”.
The Londoner has shown success and good work this season in Rome to be among the best scorers in Italy. In 46 games in all competitions, he has scored 24 goals, the best mark of his career under the Roman sun and under Jose Mourinho.
