Tammy Abraham reveals how leaving Chelsea has helped him grow

Tammy Abraham has no regrets about leaving Chelsea for Roma, saying the move has made him grow as both a player and person.

With first-team chances few and far between at the club he grew up at, Abraham chose to leave for Roma at the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

He has enjoyed a huge amount of success in Italy since then, scoring 17 goals in Serie A last season and becoming one of the club's star players.

With Chelsea lacking a goalscorer now, you'd be forgiven for thinking he wishes he stayed at Stamford Bridge where he'd now most likely be starting, but given how well things have gone in Rome, that's not the case.

"If you'd told me a couple of years ago I'd be playing in Italy, I wouldn't have believed you. Leaving Chelsea was difficult, it's where I'd grown up from the age of seven," he told the Daily Mail.

"I didn't know much about Italian football but it has helped me develop as a player and as a man. I've come out of my comfort zone and don't have any regrets. I love the life and it's brought out another side to my game.

"At Chelsea, I was viewed purely as a goalscorer. Here, I've learned different aspects of the game. If our opponents have more of the ball, I know how to position myself defensively. You have to be more clinical finishing chances because they can be limited."

While his performances in Italy have gotten him into the England squad, he's picked up few minutes for his nation with Harry Kane being the first-choice striker.

Rather than be frustrated by that though, Abraham focuses on learning from the Tottenham player and making sure he's ready when needed.

"When I work with Harry, I use it as a learning curve," he said.

"If it's me and him doing finishing drills in training, I look at his positioning, I try to take traits of it into my own game.

"He's a wonderful striker but as a player I had to be ready as well because you never know what will happen."