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Roma general manager Tiago Pinto has spent four days in London to present the club’s plans to Tammy Abraham. The Portuguese recruiter had already made a deal with Chelsea for an amount that underscored just how much Roma wanted him. Clearance from Roma owners, the Friedkin group, had been given, giving Pinto the go-ahead to make Abraham the most expensive player in club history.
Pinto’s € 45million offer would eclipse Roma’s past investments in Gabriel Batistuta and Patrik Schick but, amid reports he stood for Arsenal, Abraham still needed to persuade the project was right for him. Jose Mourinho called to explain why he had chosen Abraham as a replacement for Edin Dzeko’s departure.
When Pinto took a flight home to Ciampino and passed through the arrivals, Abraham was by his side. Up in the air for just a few hours, the former Benfica manager felt his trip to close Italy’s biggest window deal had taken much longer. Roma had finally had their man and after waiting for him to make a decision, more patience was deemed necessary before fans could see him at the Stadio Olimpico. Mourinho told reporters it had been a “strange week” for Abraham, traveling back and forth between London and Rome and training alone.
“He will be in the squad,” announced the Portuguese coach before the curtain rises against Fiorentina on Sunday. Nonetheless, it was a big surprise when Abraham’s name appeared in the starting XI on the big screen behind the Curva Sud. The expectations projected for Roma this season are staggering. As if Mourinho’s nomination wasn’t enough already, spending nearly € 100m on new talent – the fifth biggest party in Europe’s top five leagues and by far the biggest in Italy – has drawn even more attention .
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