Tammy Abraham can be Roma’s new talisman

Can Abraham fill a Bosnian sized void?

Jose Mourinho is starting a new era in Rome, as he builds his team with the goal of Champions League qualification. Last week, Mourinho brought in Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham to take the coveted No. 9 shirt as Edin Dzeko moved on to Inter.

The young England International makes the move after being told he was not in Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel’s plan. Abraham said that Roma made him “feel wanted” and that in the end it became an easy decision.

More from Playing for 90

• Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
• Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
• Barcelona put five past Real Betis
• Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
• Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory

What makes him ideal for the Giallorossi?

In previous years, Roma have used a target man, like Dzeko, that they can get the ball to through wingers and then let the forward do his thing in the box. Abraham can no doubt do this, as he did in his time with Aston Villa. However, with Mourinho now in charge, Roma’s style has changed.

Of course, the Romans haven’t run away from their high-quality wingers, as they have too many of them. Instead, the new style involves Abraham dropping back and linking play through one of the front midfielders, such as Henrikh Mkhitaryan. This is akin to how Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son played under the Portuguese manager at Tottenham.

The London-born player can play this role to perfection. He has very good ability with his feet, be that passing or finishing. He has the pace to take on and beat defenders, and he still has the size to collect those crosses into the box, ahead of most defenders.

In his first game, Abraham picked up two assists, showing great link-up with Mkhitaryan and Jordan Veretout. He also got Fiorentina goalkeeper Bartłomiej Drągowski sent off with a pacy run from midfield.

Abraham played like a man who wanted to be in Rome and take on the bright lights. He put himself in the right positions, took on players and made the right decisions in the final third.

The striker has a good record at nearly every club he has played at, with the attitude he has shown, those goals will come. He really can be the main man of a success story in Italy.