How Mourinho came through for Chelsea with Abraham move

Tammy Abraham has revealed that he was interested in joining Arsenal before a mystery phone call from Jose Mourinho scuppered the deal for the Gunners.

Abraham, 25, left Chelsea in 2021 to join Roma for £34m on a five-year deal. Abraham had an impressive debut season in Italy, scoring 27 goals in all competitions and helping Roma win the Europa Conference League.

However, he has struggled in his second season, managing only seven goals in 38 appearances. Mourinho played a key role in convincing Abraham to move to Italy and spoke to him on the phone before the deal was finalized.

In an interview with FourFourTwo, Abraham said,

“My focus was on a certain London club. I didn’t have to move anywhere, I was familiar with the area… it was Arsenal. My dad is a massive Arsenal fan, so he was very keen on it, and everything was going well. Then Jose called.”

Abraham revealed that he never answers numbers he doesn’t have saved in his contacts but decided to answer the call. Mourinho, who knew Abraham from his time at Chelsea, asked how the family was and proceeded to talk about his project and ambitions for Roma. Abraham’s agents said the move to Roma was a “no-brainer.”

Abraham has been linked with a move back to the Premier League, with Manchester United reportedly sending scouts to watch him.

Chelsea could also bring him back to Stamford Bridge, as they inserted a £70m buy-back clause in their deal with Roma. Despite the speculation, Abraham is focused on performing well for Roma and helping the team achieve their goals.