New No. 9 Abraham excited to help Roma return to the top

The 23-year-old, a full England international, formally completed his move to the Giallorossi on Wednesday morning – becoming the club’s fourth signing of the summer.

Joining up with Jose Mourinho after the two worked together briefly at Chelsea, we sat down with Tammy to get his first impressions about making the move to Italy…

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First of all, Tammy, welcome to AS Roma! How does it feel to have completed such a big move?

“It feels good. This is a club I have grown up watching, in the Champions League and in other competitions, so to finally be here is nice.

“The weather is great, the boys have been great – I haven’t been in training yet but I can’t wait to get started.”

There were obviously a lot of discussions between the various parties about this transfer. Can you tell us what it was that finally convinced you this was the move you wanted to make?

“You can sense when a club really wants you. Roma, as soon as they said they were interested, they rung my phone every day, they spoke to my agents every day.

“And like I said, I’ve known a lot about Roma from the past and I’ve had a few teammates from Chelsea who have also played for Roma - they told me it’s a great club.

"So I was expecting good things and, ever since I’ve been here, it’s been great.”

You’ve spoken a lot with the club’s General Manager, Tiago Pinto – what did he tell you about the plans here and your role within that?

“Roma are a club that deserve to be in the Champions League. They deserve to be in the top four. They deserve to be fighting for titles and trophies. So for me, to come here, that’s what I want to achieve.

“Of course, I’ve had the experience of winning major trophies and I want to be in those competitions again – so I need to help this team to achieve that and get to the level where Roma should be.”

You’ve already touched on this: at Chelsea you played alongside players who know Roma well – did you ask Antonio Rudiger and Emerson Palmieri about the club, and what did they tell you?

“They loved it, they loved every single minute of it. Especially Toni Rudiger, you know, who said that he would always play for Roma again [if he could]. So to hear things like that, it gives you confidence.

“And, like I said, I’ve loved it since I’ve got here – so I’ve just got to make sure I do well this season and help the team as much as possible.”

You were an academy player at Chelsea when Jose Mourinho was coach there in his second spell. Have you had a chance to speak with him in Rome yet, and just how excited are you to begin working with him?

“You know I have, luckily for me, I have actually trained a couple of times with him. I never got to play a first-team game with him but I know what he is about, I know he’s a big character around the place and he’s won major trophies and he’s worked with some of the best players in the world.

"So, for me to work under him, I’m very happy and I can’t wait to get started.”

You have played over 200 senior games already in your career. What are you expecting from Serie A? Which areas are you looking to improve and develop your game?

“I can’t wait to get started, first of all. I’m a player that always believes in myself, I have the capacity to score goals and so I just have to help the team as much as possible.

“I know that it is a different league and that I will have to adapt quickly, but I am not a player who is scared to be out there on the pitch. So I can’t wait to get started and help the team.”

The season starts for us this week – how are you doing in terms of your fitness? Are you ready to go straight away?

“Yeah, you know, I’ve been at pre-season from Day 1 at Chelsea, so I am fit, I’ve played a couple of pre-season games as well, so I am ready to go.”

You are now just the third English player in Roma’s history – but the second, Chris Smalling, has been here a few years now. How helpful do you think it will be to have someone like Chris here in the early months as you adjust to new surroundings?

“It’s good! I knew Chris Smalling before I came here - I already speak better Italian than he does!

"But, no, it’s nice to have someone who has played in the Premier League and who speaks good English with you, he can help me.

“He’s been here a couple of years now so he already knows the good places to go, where to live etc. – so I’ll be speaking to him quite a bit.”

You’ve chosen to wear the No. 9 shirt – following in a line of great strikers to have worn that number for this club. Are you ready for the expectation that comes with that?

“I’m always ready, in football you always have to be ready. I had to deal with the same thing at Chelsea, I had to deal with the ‘bad luck’ of the No. 9 at Chelsea and I proved a lot of people wrong. So, being here now, I can’t wait.

“It’s massive to be the No. 9 at this club and I just can’t wait to get started and to help the team.”

You landed in Rome this weekend and were immediately greeted by fans outside the airport. What was that experience like for you?

“I loved it, I loved it. Speaking to some of my friends who also play in Serie A, they told me the fans are very passionate – especially when you are playing against Roma! They said the fans are going to be very passionate.

“I felt the love as soon as I got here, I felt the passion, and I can’t wait to score that first goal and celebrate with the fans. It would mean the world to them and to me as well.”

You’ve signed a long-term contract at the club. What are your targets here?

“Like I said, I want to win titles. I want to win trophies. We need to be fighting for the top four. I want to be in the Champions League again, with Roma.

“The boys and the manager want to be fighting at the top. So to score goals and to win trophies, that’s my aim.”

And finally, do you have a message for the supporters?

“I can’t wait to see you guys. I can’t wait to enjoy playing football with you guys. Hopefully, all together, we can enjoy great success this season.”

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