Serie A striker reveals Arsenal transfer approach Gunners ‘mobilize.’ Tammy Abraham, a former Chelsea striker, has admitted that he declined an offer from Arsenal before transferring to Roma in 2021.
After being loaned out to Bristol City, Swansea City, and Aston Villa, the England international left Chelsea over two seasons ago in search of consistent first-team play.
Abraham did play more football for Chelsea between 2019 and 2021, but it soon became apparent that his playing time would be substantially curtailed once Thomas Tuchel took over as manager in lieu of Frank Lampard.
Abraham also had a standout debut season at Roma, scoring 27 goals in 53 games as the Italian team captured the European Conference League.
But the 25-year-old argues that things may have turned out differently had he chosen to join Jose Mourinho in Rome instead of Arsenal, who were also quite interested in his services.
Serie A striker reveals Arsenal transfer approach Gunners ‘mobilize’
“I was talking to several clubs in England and Europe,” Abraham said in a statement to Rete Sport. “It was time to leave Chelsea.”
I became interested in a certain London club. I didn’t need to relocate because I was familiar with the location. Arsenal answered. As my father is a diehard Arsenal supporter, everything was OK. José then called me.
“Normally, I don’t respond to calls from numbers not on my contact list. However, he introduced himself as José and greeted Tammy. I thought, “Wow, what a surprise!” He inquired about my family’s health. He had known me while I was a young student at Chelsea, so I knew him well. Are you ready to leave the gloomy weather and travel to sunny Rome, he questioned me. I laughed as he described the project and his goals for the team to me. We then continued our conversation. He had only recently arrived in Rome, but he took the time to describe what he had experienced to me.
“I talked to my agents, and they said there was no doubt that this was the ideal time to go on a new life, travel, and experience a new culture. I have not looked back since because I was so prepared.
