Goals rain in for Tammy Abraham as derby win keeps sun shining at Roma

The way Tammy Abraham tells it, his decision to join Roma came down to a desire to enjoy a little more vitamin D. He has recounted many times the story of how José Mourinho opened his sales pitch last summer with a simple question: “Do you want to enjoy some sun or stay in the rain?”

Yet the real question was a more profound one: was Abraham ready to give up the familiarity and comfort of England for a chance to make his name somewhere different. He had scored goals at Chelsea – 30 in all competitions across the preceding two seasons – yet seen his opportunities reduced by a manager, Thomas Tuchel, who confessed to not trusting him.

At Roma, Abraham would have a chance to be the main man, taking over the No 9 shirt vacated by Edin Dzeko. The €40m (£34m) fee agreed between the Giallorossi and Chelsea was the highest paid by any Serie A club for a player last summer. By accepting the move, Abraham was not so much stepping into the sunshine as the spotlight.

He has thrived under it. Despite a dry run from late September, when he went seven games without scoring, Abraham had to 21 goals in all competitions by last Thursday – matching Gabriel Batistuta and Vincenzo Montella’s first-season tallies with two months to spare. He had hit the woodwork seven times besides.

It was his 90th-minute strike against Vitesse that delivered Roma to the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League. Not the most glamorous achievement for a player who was part of a Champions League-winning squad at Chelsea last season, but indicative of a tendency to show up when his team needs him most. He struck the winner, too, against Atalanta – rivals for a spot in next season’s European competitions – at the start of the month.

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