AS Roma chief hints at how Erik ten Hag could entice Tammy Abraham to join Man Utd

Roma general manager Tiago Pinto has opened up on how the club persuaded Tammy Abraham to depart English football to move to the Italian capital.

Having netted 30 goals in a season-and-a-half at Chelsea, following multiple prolific loan spells away from Stamford Bridge, the Giallorossi pounced to take advantage of Abraham’s availability. The striker had fallen out of favour under then-Blues boss Thomas Tuchel as Roma made their move.

Abraham has been linked with a move to Manchester United – with Cristiano Ronaldo set to exit Old Trafford next summer and the club light on forwards – but Roma boss Jose Mourinho is keen to keep the striker around and there is little indication that Abraham is prepared to return to England anytime soon.

Abraham moved to the Serie A club in the summer of 2021, when Pinto spent five days in London as he attempted to persuade the striker to exit the club where he had grown up and move away from England entirely, and instead make a name for himself in Rome.

“It was a long stay,” Pinto explained to Mirror Football. “It was tough because when I got there, Tammy probably had other plans for his future. Then, thanks to a big team effort carried out by myself, the coach, other people at the club or in contact with the club, we managed to persuade him that this was the best project and best city for his career.

“He realised that going abroad was something important for his career. We were very clear about the role he would play at our club. The ownership was also involved at this stage. All in all, it was a lot of teamwork involved.

“Being the smart guy he is, Tammy realised it was the right time for him to come to Rome for his career. They were long tiring and exciting days, trying to sign a big player for AS Roma.”

Abraham enjoyed a prolific first season in Rome, with his goals helping to propel the club to their Europa Conference League title victory. The England international established himself as one of Serie A’s leading strikers.

Pinto added: “Not only did he score 29 goals, but he also contributed to the team with seven assists. He is a very important player because although he is a striker, he is, first of all, a team player and creates goal-scoring chances.”

Roma have had no shortage of iconic attackers in their ranks this century: Francisco Totti, Gabriel Batistuta, Vincenzo Montella and, more recently, Edin Dzeko have been among the names to become iconic figures with the club’s fanbase. Abraham is well on track to add his name to such an illustrious list.

“He managed to have the fans on his side from minute one,” Pinto explains, when asked how Abraham managed to establish himself so instantly with the fanbase.

“On top of the goals he scored, he is a team player, he creates many chances for the team: he scored goals, and provided assists. He has also hit the post and bar a number of times, as further proof of how dangerous he is for rival teams.

“Thanks to all that, he enjoys a big empathy with the fans. I believe he can become one of the best four or five strikers in the world. He has everything to do that. Physically strong as a modern striker, he boasts technical skills well above the average among strikers.”

Pinto added: “He is still young and has room for improvement. I have no doubt he will be one of the best strikers not only in Italy but also at European level.”