Ferdinand lays out what will be expected from Abraham ahead of his £34m Chelsea exit
Rio Ferdinand said Roma fans will demand nothing less than 15 goals from Tammy Abraham following his recent Chelsea withdrawal.
Speaking on his Five YouTube channel, Ferdinand explained what the Stadio Olimpico crowd will request from their newest recruit.
Abraham is on the verge of joining the Serie A side for £34m (Sky Sports), having already completed his medical.
Where the striker was going to end up this season became one of the sagas of the summer.
West Ham United, Arsenal, Leicester City, Atalanta, even Barcelona, have all been linked to the 23-year-old in the past few months.
But Abraham has settled upon Roma as his next footballing destination, linking up with Jose Mourinho in the Italian capital.
It puts a full stop in the centre-forward’s lifelong career as a Chelsea member, one that had begun to fade out last term.
What lies ahead for Tammy?
Fresh beginnings mean fresh challenges and Ferdinand warned the boyhood Blue what was in store for him across the continent.
He said: “Big move. Big expectations. Those Roma fans won’t be expecting anything short of 10, 15 goals this season minimum because they expect big stuff at that club.
“They’ve got great support. You saw the reception he (Abraham) got when he arrived in Rome.”
For all the weight that will be placed upon Abraham’s shoulders by his new fan base, Ferdinand felt he had the capability to cope with the challenges.
“He’s someone who wants that adulation, he wants that pressure,” said the former Manchester United defender.
“What you do know with Abraham, whatever you think about him as a player, he scores goals.
“Every level he’s played at he’s scores goals. As a kid, he broke records. He did it Swansea, he did at Aston Villa, he did it at Chelsea.”
Story of the stats
Statistics sometimes paint a misconstrued picture of a player, but for Abraham, his tell a very definite tale.
In 40 appearances for Villa, he scored 26 times.
In 48 appearances for Bristol City, he scored 26 times.
Twice he finished as Chelsea’s leading scorer, netting 18 and then 12 in consecutive campaigns.
Mourinho would love his latest acquisition to return these numbers.
Last year, Henrikh Mkhitaryan led the way in terms of league goals for Roma with 13 to his name.
Permitted he is afforded regular game time, Abraham should offer much more potency up front.
