Abraham could solve Chelsea striker problem as Mourinho sets new record
Abraham's dazzling displays have crowned him only the third Roma player to net 24 goals in a single season since the start of the century
The record-breaking performance of Nigeria born striker, Tammy Abraham for AS Roma in the UEFA Conference League typified everything Thomas Tuchel demanded from Romleu Lukaku.
The 24-year-old striker opened the Italian giants' account within five minutes as Jose Mourinho's side waltzed past Bodø/Glimt and booked a place in the semi-final against Leicester City.
The Cobham graduate, who swapped Stamford Bridge for Stadio Olimpico in the summer for a deal worth £34 million, has thoroughly enjoyed his time in Italy.
Abraham's dazzling displays have crowned him only the third Roma player to net 24 goals in a single season since the start of the century.
Roma's pattern of play typified everything that Tuchel first asked of Lukaku, who ironically was brought in to replace Abraham and Olivier Giroud — both of which have flourished at Chelsea's expense this season.
Speaking in the summer just days before Lukaku's arrival, the Blues boss said: "I think with the exit from Olivier Giroud from the type of players we could use, a player used to playing with their backs to goal, whose strength is to keep possession from long balls."
Lukaku has struggled to acclimatise to life in the Premier League since joining Chelsea from Inter Milan for an eye-watering £97.5m fee.
While one of the Belgium international's primary concerns has been his misfortune in front of goal, the 28-year-old has also struggled to engage in interplay.
Meanwhile, Mourinho has become the coach with the most European semi-final appearances in history, with a total of eleven appearances.
The Portuguese is now ahead of greats such as Scotland's Sir Alex Ferguson, Germany's Jupp Heynckes (both with eight), Italy's Carlo Ancelotti and Spain's Pep Guardiola (both with nine).
Mourinho is also the first to reach the semi-finals of all three European competitions: Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. This season, he can also become the first to lift the trophy in this competition.
After Atalanta's elimination against RB Leipzig in the Europa League, Roma are the only Italian team with a chance of lifting a European title, something that has not happened since 2010, when Inter won the Champions League in the year of their historic treble, also with Mourinho in the dugout.
