Just last week, Tammy Abraham admitted that Arsenal had tried to keep him in the Premier League before he reunited with his former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho in the Italian capital.
And, after the England international appeared to be singled out for some rather unseemly treatment from the home supporters during Roma’s 3-0 victory over Sampdoria on Sunday afternoon, Abraham could have been forgiven for wishing he was sampling the champagne-soaked atmosphere of the Emirates Stadium instead.
The red half of North London was in carnival mood on Saturday afternoon; Arsenal racking up the goals despite a sluggish start against Leeds United, extending their lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League to eight points.
But while it was all cheers at Arsenal, Abraham instead found himself confronting the jeers.
Former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham on 11 games without a goal at Roma
“The boos are sometimes hard,” Mourinho sighs, Abraham failing to break an 11-game barren run before being hauled off on the hour.
“I don’t know if the boos were for him or for me, for the substitutions. Or maybe there was a percentage of fans who booed him and others booed me. Some may think that Tammy did not play well, and others that I was stupid to change him because he could score.
“A crisis of confidence? For their self-esteem, (scoring goals) is important and he is not getting them. Maybe he suffers for this.”
After marking his debut Roma campaign with 27 goals in all competitions, helping the Giallorrosi claim the UEFA Conference League title, Abraham has just seven in 38 games this time around. Roma, Corrierre dello Sport say, may now be willing to cash in for £35 million. Around half the fee Abraham was reportedly valued at some 12 months earlier.
‘It was Arsenal’
“It was time to leave Chelsea, and I was talking to different clubs in England and Europe,” Abraham tells Rete Sport.
“My attention was drawn to a certain London club. It was Arsenal. My father is a huge Arsenal fan, so he was very enthusiastic.
“Then Jose called me. He said; ‘Hi Tammy, it’s Jose’. And I was like; ‘Wow, what a surprise!’. He asked me how the family was. I knew him well because he had known me as a child at Chelsea. He asked me; ‘Are you ready to leave the bad weather and come to sunny Rome?’
“I spoke to my agents and they said there was no question, a perfect time to start a new life, to go abroad and experience another different culture. I was so ready, and I haven’t looked back since.”
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