Tammy Abraham has revealed that he is expecting a new pair of trainers gifted from AS Roma teammate Chris Smalling after the striker notched two goals during Sunday's Derby della Capitale against Lazio.
The ex-Chelsea forward is the toast of Roma after his brace helped secure victory over the club's most fierce rivals, with Abraham's first coming inside the opening 60 seconds to hand his side the dream start at the Stadio Olimpico. After leaving Stamford Bridge in the summer to join forces with Blues legend Jose Mourinho, Abraham has barely looked back - scoring 23 goals across all competitions, with 15 coming in the league.
Roma forked out £34million on the England international for the most important moments and Abraham proved he is the man for the big occasion with a double against Lazio. His first displayed some 'fox in the box' predatory instincts to tape home from close range, while his second came 20 minutes later via an emphatic volley after a delightful Rick Karsdorp cross.
A third goal from Lorenzo Pellegrini on the 40th minute put the result beyond any doubt and ensured Roma go above Lazio into the qualification places for the Europa League. At the other end of the pitch for Roma was ex-Manchester United centre-back Smalling, who was pivotal in the efforts to keep a clean sheet.
After the full-time whistle, it emerged that the win would come at a cost for Smalling, who now owes Abraham a new pair of trainers according to the 24-year-old striker. "Before the game, a couple of days ago, me, Rick Karsdorp's and Chris Smalling we made a bet, an agreement," he told Roma TV.
"They said if I score two goals they buy me trainers, if I don't score, I buy them trainers. I'm happy I scored two goals so I have two brand new pairs of trainers coming." Abraham's name was sung proudly by the Roma faithful in response to his goal-scoring heroics.
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Despite his striker's performance, Mourinho was reluctant to praise Abraham in the wake of the victory. "When you say Abraham is fantastic I disagree, he can do even more," the Portuguese coach said. "I demand a lot of him because I know his potential, I’m not talking about goals but he must play every game with this attitude."
Abraham made history with his brace by becoming the first English player to score in a Roma derby since Three Lions icon Paul Gascoigne. However, he fell just short of Trevor Francis' record of being the last English player to score a Serie A hat-trick, which came back in 1983.
The striker also saw another record tumble as he surpassed legend Gabriel Batistuta for most goals scored in a debut season with Abraham now sitting on two more than the Argentine bagged in his first campaign at the Stadio Olimpico.
