Roma striker Tammy Abraham insists Jose Mourinho has turned him into a ‘monster’ after being ‘too nice’ to his opponents on the pitch. The 24-year-old has thanked the Special One for teaching him how to behave on the field as he is continuing to develop his skillset under the renowned Portuguese expert.
Abraham swapped Chelsea for Roma in the summer to reignite his career after falling out of favor at Stamford Bridge. The Englishman’s lack of first-team opportunities in London coincided with Thomas Tuchel’s arrival at the helm back in January. The German preferred Timo Werner for a center-forward role, shifting Abraham to the bench.
If that wasn’t enough, Chelsea put together a big-money move for Romelu Lukaku in the summer, adding more competition in the attacking department. All signs were pointing in one direction. Abraham had to leave west London to get his career back on track. And Mourinho seized the opportunity.
Abraham’s decision to move to the Stadio Olimpico has worked out well for him so far, as he has enjoyed a decent start to life in the Italian capital.
Though his tally of three goals and two assists from 12 Serie A appearances this season shows there’s plenty of room for improvement, Abraham looks to be on the right course. Mourinho, who played a significant role in the striker’s decision-making process in the summer, continues to have a massive influence on Tammy’s development.
The 58-year-old manager has given Abraham a few crucial improvement points, as he looks to emulate the success he previously had with other robust strikers. During his time at Chelsea, Mourinho turned Didier Drogba into a force to be reckoned with, while he also had the chance to coach other household No 9s, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, and Diego Costa.
Abraham, who earned Gareth Southgate’s call-up this month, thanked Mourinho for helping him improve his game.
“Just be a monster really!” he replied when asked how Mourinho improved him, as relayed by Sky Sports. “I think one of the things he said was I was too much of a nice player and that you have to show that aggressiveness as you’re getting older as a striker.
“It’s not always about being nice on the pitch. You need that character, you need that presence to frighten defenders and I think that’s something I’m learning and getting better at.“