Tammy Abraham insists he has no regrets after leaving Chelsea for AS Roma last summer.
The England international completed a £34 million move to Jose Mourinho’s side a year ago as the Blues looked to free up money in their pursuit of Romelu Lukaku.
Chelsea got the deal over the line, with the Belgian striker signing for £97.5 million, but his return to Stamford Bridge did not unfold how it was expected to.
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Managing a total of eight goals in the Premier League, Lukaku struggled to adapt back to English football and therefore returned on loan to Inter Milan this summer.
While Lukaku was failing to perform for Chelsea, Abraham was loving life for Roma, he tallied up a total of 17 goals in the Serie A.
He was a major component in their Europa Conference League triumph as well, he netted nine times in the debut year of the competition.
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Jump to the present day, and Chelsea are once again on the search for a leading number nine.
Kai Havertz looks set to be the favoured option up top, with Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount regularly appearing alongside the German in pre-season.
The Blues also have Timo Werner, but he has been heavily linked with a transfer back to his former side RB Leipzig, with the latest reports suggesting he is willing to take a major pay cut to leave.
Other options in the senior squad that Thomas Tuchel has at his disposal are Michy Batshuayi and Armando Broja, who impressed last season at Southampton.
Chelsea may be regretting their decision to let 24-year-old Abraham leave, but the striker has insisted he has not looked back after leaving the west London side.
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Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, he insisted he has zero regrets: “Never (have I regretted leaving), not even for a second.
“Choosing Roma was one of the right decisions I have made in my life.”
Abraham added: “The first day I arrived at Roma I felt at home. I’m in no hurry to get back to the Premier League because I can express my way of playing here. In Italy I feel happy in every respect.
“I focus exclusively on the season that is about to begin, because I want it to be even more than the first I experienced in Italy.”
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Roma begin their new season in the Serie A against Salernitana in just over two weeks time and will be hoping to improve on last year's sixth place finish and push for a Champions League spot.
Abraham is extremely focused on the year ahead in Italy and will be looking forward to linking up with their latest signing Paulo Dybala.
While he may not be keen on a move back to Chelsea for the moment, could he make the switch back to the Premier League further down the line? The Blues do have an option to re-sign him next year for a deal that would be worth around £67 million.
Topics: Tammy Abraham, Chelsea, AS Roma, Football
Sam Collins