Tammy Abraham has admitted playing under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea was a "low point" in his career due to his lack of game time.
The 24-year-old was frozen out by Tuchel shortly after his appointment at Stamford Bridge in January 2021. Abraham didn't start any of Chelsea's last 13 Premier League games in 2020-21 and was omitted from the squad for the Champions League and FA Cup finals.
Abraham left the Blues to join Jose Mourinho at Roma in August and has since scored 24 goals. His replacement at Stamford Bridge, Romelu Lukaku, has found the back of the net just 12 times following his £97.5million move from Inter Milan in August.
Fellow Chelsea striker Timo Werner is also struggling for goals, scoring 11 this term. Ironically, Abraham is just six goals away from matching Lukaku's tally of 30 for Inter last season. Chelsea, who sold Abraham for £34m, can buy him back for £68m.
The England international's form has helped Roma reach fifth in Serie A this term, enough for a Europa League spot. They've also reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League and will take on Leicester at the King Power on Thursday evening.
"I’ll admit it was a very low point in my career," Abraham told Alan Shearer of The Athletic when asked about his Chelsea departure. "It did mess with me mentally for a bit. It got to a point towards the back end of the season where I was stropping.
Will Tammy Abraham fire Roma to Europa Conference League glory? Let us know in the comments below!
"I was annoyed, because I’m working hard in training and I wasn’t getting the chances. I was doing the best I could, getting in early and finishing late, training drills, finishing drills, and still wasn’t getting a look in.
"I could understand if I wasn’t in great form or wasn’t training well or had a bad attitude. I just didn’t understand. I was working so hard. I was having players coming up to me saying, 'You were unbelievable today in training.' That was the hardest part."
When asked if Tuchel explained the situation, Abraham said: "No. When I was there… I played in his first couple of games, I got an injury and after that the team started winning, they were getting points and doing well. I got back fit and from there I just didn’t get back into the team. That was his decision. I can’t fault him."
Abraham has proved himself to be a prolific striker throughout his career, scoring 114 goals in 255 club appearances. He showed his class during the 2019-20 campaign at Chelsea, finding the back of the net 15 times in the Premier League under Frank Lampard.
The striker's new manager Mourinho has been full of praise for his player since he arrived in the Italian capital. "He is doing well but he can do better," the former Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United manager said in February.
"The team needs him to do better. A foreign player who was born raised and done in a different football, in a different society. It's not easy to leave England but he is doing well. I hope in him but he has the potential to do even more."
