Roma boss Jose Mourinho is desperate for Tammy Abraham to fulfil his potential at the Stadio Olimpico amid his side’s rough patch. In the build-up to Romanisti’s trip to Empoli, the Special One urged the ex-Chelsea striker to take advantage of his game time in Rome.
Roma dashed out around £34m to rescue Abraham from his Stamford Bridge nightmare in the summer. Mourinho played a significant role in convincing the centre-forward to leave his native country for Serie A in pursuit of a long-term replacement for Edin Dzeko, who left for Inter.
Despite Roma’s underwhelming Serie A season so far, Abraham has been one of the most consistent performers, alongside captain Lorenzo Pellegrini. The 24-year-old has cemented his place in Mourinho’s starting line-up, tallying eight goals and three assists from 21 league appearances.
Not bad for a player in his first season in a brand new country and culture, but Mourinho expects to see more from Abraham in the upcoming period.
“He’s not doing badly for a first season of change in footballing culture,” he said as relayed by TUTTOmercatoWEB. “The numbers are there and they are numbers without penalties. They are numbers with lots of woodwork hits that could have been turned into more goals.
“I expect more, room to improve and not only in terms of numbers, but also in terms of quality and in the area of the game where he was not so good. If he plays every game and works as he is doing, at the age of 24-25, I expect more.“
With Roma fighting tooth and nail to achieve a European finish this term, they will need their talismanic forward at his best if they are to climb up the ladder.
Going into their trip to Empoli, the Giallorossi languish in eighth in the Serie A standings, eight points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta. Therefore, hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League group stage are still alive, even though Roma’s recent performances have flattered to deceive.
Following back-to-back league defeats at the hands of Milan and Juventus, Roma eked out a 1-0 home win over relegation-battling Cagliari last time out. They also came from behind to beat Serie B outfit Lecce in midweek Coppa Italia action, picking up more steam ahead of their must-win fixture against Empoli.