Tammy Abraham explains Jose Mourinho’s direct way of signing him – ‘I was on the PlayStation’​

by | Nov 27, 2024 | Sports

Roma paid Chelsea around £34m to sign Tammy Abraham and he went on to deliver in his first season by netting 27 times in 53 games in all competitions under Jose Mourinho

​Roma paid Chelsea around £34m to sign Tammy Abraham and he went on to deliver in his first season by netting 27 times in 53 games in all competitions under Jose Mourinho Roma paid Chelsea around £34m to sign Tammy Abraham and he went on to deliver in his first season by netting 27 times in 53 games in all competitions under Jose Mourinho   

Tammy Abraham has revealed a hilarious phone call from Jose Mourinho convinced him to leave Chelsea for Roma – after the “special one” urged him to leave “rainy England” for “sunny Rome”.

Abraham was frozen out at Chelsea by then-manager Thomas Tuchel in 2021 before being offered a lifeline by Roma manager Mourinho – who briefly worked with him at Stamford Bridge in the 2015-16 season.

Roma paid around £34m to sign Abraham and he went on to deliver in his first season by netting 27 times in 53 games in all competitions under Mourinho.

Abraham spoke of how Mourinho swayed him to jet off to the Italian capital with a simple phone call that interrupted his gaming session on his PlayStation.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “I was on the PlayStation with my friends. I received a call, I picked up and I said hello. ‘And he said, ‘hello Tammy it’s Jose. Do you want to stay in rainy England or come to sunny Rome?’. And I remember just running upstairs and telling my parents and we thought Rome was the place to go.”

Abraham couldn’t quite keep up his form in his second season as he only scored nine times in total and was then sidelined for much of the 2023-24 season through injury. Mourinho was sacked that same year and Abraham then lost his place in the team before joining AC Milan on loan this term.

However, he still has fond memories of his time working under the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss, admitting he was one of the best managers he had ever worked under.

ROME, ITALY – MARCH 09: Jose Mourinho head coach of AS Roma greets Tammy Abraham of AS Roma during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 leg one match between AS Roma and Real Sociedad at Stadio Olimpico on March 09, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Silvia Lore/Getty Images)

“Jose was one of the best coaches I have had,” he added. “He was a manager, he always believed in what he believed in and as a player you feel the energy and you kind of buy into that. I don’t regret one thing, I’ve loved it and it’s been amazing.”

Abraham, who came through Chelsea’s youth system at under-eight level, is attempting to rediscover his early form at Roma with Milan but has only scored twice in 11 games.

But that hasn’t stopped Abraham enjoying his time in the city. He said: “Milan has been amazing. My whole life I grew up in London, so it was a privilege to move to Rome, and now Milan.

“I want to look back on my career and be like I really lived in places like Rome and Milan and be able to say that I’ve embraced the culture.”

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AC Milan earned their third successive Champions League win with a 3-2 victory at Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday, hanging on after the home side scored a late goal.

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Milan arrived on the back of a 3-1 win at Real Madrid while Slovan were beaten 4-1 by Dinamo Zagreb last time out in the tournament, but for much of the game the home side looked more than capable of causing their visitors real problems.

The first half ended level with Milan’s Christian Pulisic opening the scoring in the 21st minute before a quick counter-attack led to Slovan’s Tigran Barseghyan equalising three minutes later.

Milan struggled to put Slovan away before substitute Rafael Leão put them back in front in the 68th minute and Tammy Abraham capitalised on a horror back-pass from David Strelec to extend their lead three minutes later.

Slovan pulled a goal back through Nino Marcelli in the 88th minute, and also had Marko Tolic sent off late on, but Milan came through the late drama to move on to nine points.

Slovan, with no points, remain rooted at the bottom of the standings.

AC Milan players celebrate after scoring a goal against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League.
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Getty Images

Milan controlled the game in Slovan’s half for the opening 15 minutes without creating any real danger before a quick counter from the home side almost let them in to take the lead.

Barseghyan’s pass sent Strelec through on goal where he rounded the keeper but his finish lacked power allowing Strahinja Pavlovic slide in to block the shot.

The visitors finally made their possession count when a through-ball from Abraham on the halfway line set Pulisic free and he raced into the area before angling his low shot into the far corner.

Milan did not learn their lesson from Slovan’s earlier counter and this time Barseghyan collected the ball in his own half without a single opposition player ahead of him.

Tijjani Reijnders was the closest Milan player, but he could not keep pace and Barseghyan calmly lofted the ball over the oncoming Maigan.

Milan sent on Leao at the start of the second half and the Portuguese winger put them back in front after Youssouf Fofana‘s cross field pass found him ahead of his marker to coolly slip the ball past the keeper.

It looked all over for Slovan when Strelec played a pass back into the box which only went as far as Abraham who had the simple task of turning and sending a shot past the helpless keeper.

The game appeared all over as a contest but Marcelli’s superb strike from outside the area suddenly gave Slovan hope, but all they could muster was Tolic getting a double booking for a foul and dissent, and Milan survived to take all three points.

 

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The visitors responded with a double chance of their own, but neither Ousmane Dembele, who was sent off just before the hour mark, nor Joao Neves could beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

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With PSG’s only win so far coming against Girona in their opener they were desperate for points, but Bayern struck first with South Korea‘s Kim heading home from close range after keeper Matvei Safonov fluffed a corner in the 38th minute.

Before the French side’s defence had time to recover Bayern almost scored a second five minutes before halftime with Kingsley Coman firing over the bar after a solo run.

Things got worse for Luis Enrique’s PSG side when Dembele was dismissed for a lunging tackle that brought a second booking in the 57th, leaving an already struggling side down to 10.

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