‘Never say never’: Tammy Abraham refuses to rule out Chelsea return, saying he’s ‘motivated’ by transfer rumours

March 31, 2023 Sports 4 Views

Tammy Abraham has refused to rule out a potential transfer to Chelsea in the future, his boyhood club who he left in 2021 to sign for Roma.

After coming through the youth ranks, Abraham scored 30 goals in 82 appearances at Chelsea. He fell out out of favour in Chelsea’s attack under previous manager Thomas Tuchel, though, causing Abraham to go in search of first-team minutes under Jose Mourinho in Serie A.

Graham Potter is in charge of the club now, though, and Abraham says there’s a possibility he could pitch up at Stamford Bridge again in the future.

“Would I go back there? In football you can never say never,” Abraham tells FourFourTwo. “Right now, my focus is here at Roma – we want to finish the season strongly.

“I haven’t started thinking about anything yet, apart from being here and doing my best.

“I wouldn’t say there’s unfinished business in England – I’m in no rush. Football has no location, it could be anywhere. Maybe I stay at Roma for the next decade, maybe I don’t. You never know what’s around the corner.”

After scoring 17 Serie A goals and nine on the way to Roma’s Europa Conference League victory last season, the 25-year-old was consistently linked with a move back to the Premier League in the summer of 2022.

Those transfer rumours are still there, too, despite a dip in form this campaign. Abraham is motivated by the links, though, showing clubs are sitting up and taking notice of his performances.

“It’s never annoying – as a player, to hear that teams want you is always motivating,” he says.

“It means that you’re clearly doing something right and you have interest around the world. You use that as motivation, instead of finding it annoying. It’s nice to know that teams are interested in me.”

For now, Abraham is clearly enjoying life in Italy as he targets Champions League qualification with Roma. Since moving to the country, he has fallen in love with a particular dish as he attempts to learn the language, throwing himself head-first into the culture.

“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. “When I first arrived, everyone was speaking English with me, but as time has gone on people are starting to speak more Italian.

“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.”