After arriving at Cobham at the age of seven, Abraham dreamed of playing for Chelsea right from the start. Growing up in the Academy, he would catch occasional glimpses of idols like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry from across the road and visualise himself following in their footsteps one day.

A decade after officially registering for the club, the striker made his debut in a Premier League game at Liverpool in May 2016. He would go on to make 82 appearances in total for his boyhood club, playing in an FA Cup final and scoring in Europe, not to mention that memorable winner away at Arsenal.

Born six miles down the road from Stamford Bridge, Abraham played across the frontline during his days progressing through the youth ranks at Chelsea. He caught the eye as a teenage forward with his skilful play and tall frame, though it was his penchant for goalscoring that really separated him from the crowd.

Alongside his close friend and age-group peer Dominic Solanke, the striking duo helped fire a talented group of players to success both domestically and on the European stage. Abraham scored 67 goals in his first two seasons of full-time football, including in both FA Youth Cup finals as the Blues won the second and third of their historic five-in-a-row haul.

There were also a dozen goals in the triumphant UEFA Youth League campaigns of 2014/15 and 2015/16, including a goal in the semi-final victory against Anderlecht. Those exploits were earning the Londoner a growing reputation and the reward soon came when Guus Hiddink handed him a senior debut at Anfield at the age of 18. Four days later, a childhood’s ambition was realised as he ran out at the Bridge on the final day of the season.

With competition for places fierce, Abraham then spent the following three seasons out on loan, one of which came in the Premier League with Swansea City, with spells in the Championship at Bristol City and Aston Villa sandwiched either side.

When Frank Lampard took the reins in SW6 in the summer of 2019, Abraham returned home and was handed the number nine shirt, a show of faith he quickly repaid as he netted seven goals in three games in late summer, taking him to the top of the Premier League scoring charts.

Following Super Cup disappointment as his spot-kick was saved in the shootout, the striker registered his first senior Chelsea goal with a brace against Norwich City and then repeated the trick at home in a draw with Sheffield United. Arguably his most memorable day in blue came at Molineux when he became our youngest Premier League hat-trick hero with an exquisite treble against Wolves on a landmark day for our Academy that also saw goals for Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori.

As 2019 drew to a close, Abraham found goals harder to come by, but he still signed the year off in style with arguably with his most iconic Chelsea goal yet, a smart turn-and-finish to seal an enjoyable come-from-behind victory at the Emirates.

An ankle injury sustained against the same opposition three weeks later proved disruptive. He featured in just three of our eight games before football was stopped and had to be patient after the restart. His final goals tally for the elongated season was 18 in all competitions, making him Chelsea’s top scorer.

Excluding penalties, Abraham was the Blues’ highest scorer in all competitions for the second season running in 2020/21, and no-one netted more times in the Premier League from open play for us. The majority of those goals came in the first half of the campaign, before a troublesome injury and increased competition for places reduced his opportunities.

It was in the cup competitions that he produced his best form of last season, especially after the turn of the year. Having already set up two and scored one in the 6-0 Carabao Cup win over Barnsley, Abraham appeared in five of our six Champions League group games, finding the net to complete our 3-0 home win against Rennes.

His goals also played a big role in our run to the FA Cup final, scoring the second hat-trick of his Chelsea career to secure a 3-1 win over Luton Town in the fourth round, before getting the only goal of a 1-0 victory at Barnsley in the last 16.

Our European triumphs in Porto and Belfast ensure he leaves the Bridge with senior winners' medals to add to the glut he picked up in his Academy days.

Good luck in Rome, Tammy!