AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham has revealed Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was among the players who inspired him to quit Chelsea at the end of last season.
The England attacker has been a key player for Jose Mourinho this season, scoring 15 goals in 33 Serie A matches, and assisting four.
He has further scored eight goals in 11 Europa Conference League matches to help the team reach the semi-finals, where they drew 1-1 with Leicester City in the first leg played on Thursday.
Abraham said it was difficult for him to leave his boyhood club but the likes of Salah, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne's bold decisions to leave Stamford Bridge and achieve success elsewhere, influenced him to take a try.
"It was a difficult decision [leaving Chelsea]. I was there since I was a young boy and all I knew was London, all I knew was Chelsea, apart from my loans [to Bristol City, Swansea City and Aston Villa]," Abraham told The Athletic.
"But there’s a time in your career where you have to do what’s best for you. I had to go out and make a name for myself again. From the first day I set foot here [at Roma], that was my goal.
"I have seen the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah and Lukaku leave Chelsea and spread their wings. They’re the best players in the world."
Salah first tasted Premier League football in the 2014/15 season when the Blues signed him from Basel. However, stiff competition limited him to a handful of appearances.
He was eventually loaned to Fiorentina and later on to Roma, and he opted to join the latter on a permanent basis before Liverpool snatched him up.
The Egypt captain has been a revelation at Jurgen Klopp's side, winning the Champions League, the Premier League, the Fifa Club World Cup, the Carabao Cup and many other individual awards.
This season, he has helped the team to sustain their challenge for the Premier League trophy again, as the Reds are just a point behind Manchester City with five games left.
Furthermore, the Anfield side are in the semi-finals of the Champions League and in the FA Cup final where they will play Chelsea.
The Reds remain in contention to win a historic quadruple of trophies, a feat no English club has managed before.