Arsenal were very keen on signing Tammy Abraham from Chelsea last month, according to Fabrizio Romano.
What happened with Tammy Abraham this summer?
After making just two league starts for Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel last season, and being left out of the squad for the Champions League final, Abraham was linked with a move away from the west London club this summer.
The 6 foot 3 attacker eventually got his transfer in mid-August, sealing a switch to Serie A side Roma for £36m on a five-year deal.
What has Romano said about Abraham?
Romano has stated that prior to Abraham's move to the Italian capital, he was also on a number of other clubs' radar, with Arsenal showing the most interest in the player.
However, he has claimed that Arsenal missed out on the 23-year-old as they were unable to offload one of their current strikers, while the influence of Jose Mourinho at Roma may have also convinced Abraham to try his luck in Serie A.
When asked on The Here We Go Podcast for the club that battled hardest to change Abraham's mind on moving abroad, Romano replied: “It’s Arsenal, more than any other one because Atalanta wanted him in Italy, many clubs in England were asking for him, but Arsenal were really pushing to have Tammy Abraham. They were trying to convince the player and to take his time before joining Roma because they were looking to sell maybe Lacazette or maybe Eddie Nketiah to have a free slot for a new striker with Tammy Abraham.
“They were really interested, in talks with the agent, but they were prepared to make a proposal. But they were needing to sell a striker before signing Tammy Abraham. They were really, really pushing and pushing, they were trying in every possible way.
“So, Arsenal were really convinced that they had a chance to sign Tammy Abraham but in football it is not easy to change the mind of the players, and my personal feeling is: without Jose Mourinho as Roma manager, Tammy Abraham would now be an Arsenal player.”
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Is it a major setback for Arsenal that they failed to land Abraham?
It is looking that way.
The Gunners have not found the net in their opening three top-flight games this season, and are currently rock-bottom of the Premier League.
Meanwhile, their two most senior strikers, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, are both into their thirties, and the former has less than a year left on his contract.
Arsenal needed to bring in a young, hungry forward who could help the side push on in the seasons ahead, and Abraham appeared perfectly suited for this role. His start to life at Roma has shown his undoubted quality, as he has been directly involved in three goals in his first two appearances for the club.
Mikel Arteta failed to get a striker through the door at the Emirates this summer, though, and this has caused the team to look lightweight in attack in the first few weeks of the campaign.