Tammy Abraham has been linked with a return to the Premier League after starring for Serie A side Roma in 2021-22, and the England international striker has offered hope to Arsenal and Chelsea by admitting he may look to “make noise” in London again.
The 24-year-old walked away from Stamford Bridge last summer after struggling to nail down a regular starting berth and the signing of Romelu Lukaku, and has gone on to score 23 goals in Italy.
Those exploits have not gone unnoticed, with Chelsea said to be considering a buyback option while Arsenal remain in the market for a new No 9, and Abraham has hinted steps may be retraced to familiar surroundings.
What has been said?
Asked by talkSPORT about the speculation he is generating, Abraham said: “When I see reports linking me with other clubs it makes me feel good, it makes you feel like you’re doing something right. It’s a nice feeling seeing your name all over newspapers.
“For me it’s about focusing on doing my business here. I can keep getting linked with many clubs but who knows what the future holds?
“Of course I grew up in England, I’m a London boy. So maybe one day I’ll be back in the Premier League to make noise there.
“For me right now it’s about focusing on Rome, on doing the best I can and hopefully winning these guys a trophy which they haven’t done in many years.”
Abraham on working with Mourinho
GettyFormer Chelsea boss Mourinho is bringing the best out of Abraham in Rome, and a striker hoping to make England’s squad for World Cup 2022 said of working with the enigmatic Portuguese coach: “There’s a reason why I call him the best manager in the world.
"He knows how to drive you, he knows how to get under your skin and he knows how to make you feel like a very special player at times.
"He’ll never tell you but I always want to do my best for him. He pushes me to do my best. When I feel like I’ve done enough he tells me I have to do more.
"I experienced him when I was at Chelsea as a kid, I went to train with the first-team and he was always hard on me, he was always pushing me to better myself – I felt like when I did something right he’d tell me to do it better.
"That’s exactly what I needed, that push and that drive, especially after the difficult season I had at Chelsea where I wasn’t playing and getting much game time.
"To come here and have a manager like Mourinho to coach you, to believe in you only gives you more confidence.”
How does Abraham compare to England rivals?
Abraham should be in Gareth Southgate's thoughts for Qatar later this year, and he admits he keeps a close eye on how his competition is faring.
Asked if he compares himself to other English strikers, Abraham said: “Of course! It’s just a striker’s instinct. When you score or don’t score you’re always checking if another striker scores.
“I even do it in Serie A. If I don’t score one game I’m checking to see who the top goalscorer is.
“These are the kind of things that drive you as a striker. You like to see other players, especially the English strikers doing well. Harry Kane’s picked up some form and is scoring goals, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back playing, Ollie Watkins is doing well.
“It’s inspiring to see other players doing well because it pushes you to do even better. That’s the mentality I have.
“My competition is myself. If I don’t score one game and I don’t play well then I can’t sleep at night, you can ask me missus… and if I miss a chance but score I’m still angry because I want to score more.”
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