Tammy Abraham gets his first AS Roma goal as striker continues fine start to life in Serie A
"I am here to win; I didn't come here just to play, to score." These were the words of Tammy Abraham when he faced the press during his unveiling as a new AS Roma player.
The 23-year-old striker has walked the talk so far after a bright start to life in the Italian capital. You can already see him as a key cog in the team. Jose Mourinho certainly knew what he was getting when he persuaded AS Roma to fork out £34 million to prise Abraham away from Chelsea in August.
The England striker has been a beast since making his debut. He has given Roma a presence up front, can play with his back to goal, and his link-up play has been equally superb.
Tammy Abraham opens his account in Serie A
Tammy Abraham was unlucky not to get on the score sheet on his debut, but still provided two assists as AS Roma recorded a 3-1 win over Fiorentina.
Considering how effectively he played, it was only a matter of time before he would get his first goal for the club. And it did duly came on Sunday against Salernitana.
His goal was the perfect way to cap off yet another impressive performance for Mourinho’s side. Abraham received a pass from Carles Perez on the edge of the box, and applied a first-time finish to steer the ball into the net off the post.
Abraham’s celebration and that of his teammates said it all. They couldn’t wait for him to open his account for the Giallorossi, and this could be the beginning of many more to come.
Jose Mourinho already getting the best out of Tammy Abraham
The England forward had very limited game time at Chelsea, and fell out of favour following the arrival of Thomas Tuchel. Despite that, Abraham still finished last season as Chelsea’s joint-top scorer. At Roma, he has found himself in an environment where he’s loved and adored.
And in Mourinho, he has a manager who plays to his strengths. The Portuguese manager has always spoken highly of the striker, and was one of the key reasons why the 23-year-old decided to join Roma.
"I spoke to Jose and obviously (general manager) Thiago (Pinto) before coming here, and they told me the ambition of the club," Abraham told Sky Sports.
"They told me what they want from the club and how they see the club moving forward. I am someone who is very ambitious myself, so when I see vision and I believe in the vision and I believe I can help in the vision, I give my all.”
Mourinho has a history of bringing out the best in strikers whom others have lost faith in, from Didier Drogba to Samuel Eto’o to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and now Tammy Abraham.