Tammy Abraham has revealed he was keen to join Arsenal from Chelsea before a mystery phone call scuppered the proposed transfer.
Abraham, 25, left Chelsea in 2021 to reunite with Jose Mourinho at Roma, with the Italian side paying £34m to sign the England international on a five-year deal.
It immediately looked like a shrewd piece of business, with Abraham hitting the ground running in his first season in Italy.
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He scored 27 goals in all competitions and finished the campaign with silverware after Roma beat Feyenoord in the inaugural Europa Conference League final.
Abraham has found his second season abroad a much sterner test, managing only seven goals in 38 appearances.
But he retains the backing of Roma boss Mourinho, who played a key role in convincing the striker to move to Italy.
Abraham reveals Mourinho phone call
Speaking to FourFourTwo, Abraham has revealed he was keen to move to Arsenal in 2021 before he received a call from an unknown number, which turned out to be Mourinho.
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"It was time to move on from Chelsea, and I was talking to various clubs in England and Europe," Abraham said.
"My focus was on a certain London club. I didn't have to move anywhere, I was familiar with the area… it was Arsenal. My dad is a massive Arsenal fan, so he was very keen on it, and everything was going well.
"Then Jose called. I never usually answer numbers I don't have saved in my contacts. But he said, 'Hi Tammy, it's Jose.' I was like, 'Wow, that's a surprise!' He asked how the family was.
"I was familiar with him because he knew me as a kid at Chelsea. He asked me, 'Are you ready to leave the bad weather behind and come to sunny Rome?' I laughed, we spoke a bit more, he told me about the project, his ambitions for the team."
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"He'd only been at the club a short time, but explained what he'd seen and what it was like," Abraham added.
"I spoke to my agents and they said it was a no-brainer, the perfect time to start a new life, to go abroad and learn about a different culture. I was so ready for it, and I haven't looked back since."
While he is no doubt enjoying his new life in Italy, Abraham continues to be linked with a return to the Premier League. Manchester United have sent scouts to watch the striker, while Chelsea could opt to bring him back to Stamford Bridge after inserting a £70m buy-back clause in their deal with Roma.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tammy Abraham, Football, Premier League, Transfers, Roma, AS Roma, Serie A