Tammy Abraham's presentation press conference
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00:00Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome along to our unveiling of Tami Abraham alongside the
00:09CEO Giorgio Fodlani. We'll start with Milan TV. I'd like to ask the CEO Giorgio Fodlani
00:18how much desire Tami showed to make this move a reality.
00:24It was hugely important. What really brings together Tami and our new signings is the
00:34fact that they all wanted to sign for Milan, they want to be with us, they want to be part
00:39of the club's plans and we'd like to thank them for that. I'd like to ask Tami if he
00:44could summarise his emotions. You came to Milan, then you went back to Rome, you came
00:50off the bench, you provided an assist. Tell us how you felt.
00:54It's a club I've grown up watching since I was a kid. I've been so excited to come to
01:03such a great club. I arrived and the coach asked me if I was ready to play and I told
01:10him for the team and for the fans and for the city, I'm always ready, no matter what
01:16it is. I was put in a position where I played and I helped make an impact in the game so
01:23I couldn't be more delighted. Now it's just about settling down and providing, hopefully,
01:29more wins.
01:30Hi Tami, welcome to Milan. I wanted to know how you experienced this negotiation. It was
01:50a very long, protracted negotiation and lasted several weeks. Were you concerned that it
01:55would fall through? Ultimately you signed on transfer deadline day and I'd also like
02:00to ask the CEO, in terms of the overall assessment of the transfer window, were you able to get
02:08every deal over the line or would you have preferred that some deals panned out that
02:12didn't necessarily?
02:14For me, when I found out that such a great club was interested in me, I had my mind and
02:20my eyes on nowhere else but here. From the beginning of the transfer window, this is
02:26where I wanted to be. I'm proud and honoured to be here. Like I said, I want to do my best
02:32for this club.
02:33I'll give you the short answer. Yes, we were able to achieve what we wanted to right from
02:43the outset of the summer so we're happy on that score.
02:53Good afternoon to both of you. I'd like to start with Tami. Tami, how were you able to
02:59strike up that rapport with Rafa Leal right from the word go? Given that Teo and Leal
03:13stood on the other side of the pitch, you were calling them over, weren't you? And as
03:17for the CEO, let's talk about the renewal of Luka Jovic. Why did you then renew his
03:23contract as a backup to Morata and then go and sign another striker? Just to get an insight
03:28into what your transfer thinking was there.
03:32The funny story is, me and Raf, we sat beside each other on the bench and we were speaking.
03:40I did ask him, I said, so when you get the ball, what do you want from me? And he explained
03:45it and as soon as we came on the pitch, that's what we did. So it's nice to have that understanding
03:50and hopefully we develop and do more this season.
03:59We are involved in three competitions, four if you include the mini-competition that is
04:04the Super Cup, so there will be a lot of matches. We need several players and we need to score
04:08lots of goals. So we believe it makes sense to have Alvaro, Tammy, Luka and all of the
04:15other players in the squad.
04:20Good afternoon. I'd like to start with the CEO. What is your take on Paolo Fonseca? I
04:29imagine that you didn't expect this start to the season and that naturally you're not
04:33pleased with the results. How much time are you going to give him? The Champions League
04:39match, the derby against Inter, they're such awkward fixtures. Will you be keeping a very
04:43close eye on the results in those games? As for Tammy Abraham, I'd like to ask you, how
04:48are you physically? Are you ready to start against Venezia? Hypothetically, ultimately
04:54how are you and do you have 90 minutes under your belt given that over the last few months
04:59it's been quite challenging for you?
05:06Yes, we would have preferred to have taken nine points from our first three matches,
05:13that goes without saying. But there's absolutely no panic, so I'd avoid talking about crucial
05:22matches or whatever it may be. We are happy with the job that the coach did during pre-season.
05:33We're all with him, we're all there to support him and the team is also with Paolo Fonseca.
05:41With me, I feel good. I'm in a position where I want to help the team as much as possible.
05:48Luckily for me, coming back from the injury, I've been training regularly. I had a good
05:53pre-season, so I feel good. I think whenever I'm on the pitch I just need to give my all.
06:00If I get tired, we have a great squad to change players. But answering your question, I feel
06:06good and ready.
06:19Good afternoon. A question for the CEO, Giorgio Furlani, and one question for Tammy Abraham.
06:28To the CEO, I'd like to ask, could you shed a bit of light on the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic
06:36in Rome and do you not think, although as I've heard this was planned for a while, was
06:45it not necessarily the case that you should have actually announced it beforehand to avoid
06:51this media storm following the game? And to Tammy Abraham, I'd like to ask you, what was
06:58your reaction when you saw Rafa Leao and Teo Hernandez staying on the other side of the
07:06pitch during the cooling break?
07:09Zlatan had a commitment, a long-standing commitment that he had accepted prior to his
07:17role here at Milan, so it wasn't a surprise he had this commitment. As for whether it
07:23would have been appropriate or not to announce it, I don't think we necessarily need to make
07:28it party to the media every time one of the senior manager figures moves around from a
07:35weekly basis. So I think it's a bit of a non-event. I was there, Joffre Mounkada was there.
07:44Of course, I know we've all seen the pictures and the videos from the game, but it was a
07:49situation where I was there, I was talking with them, we'd just arrived on the pitch,
07:54we'd just scored a goal, so of course our adrenaline is high, we wanted to stay on the
07:59pitch, but of course the referee called for the break. It was a situation, they had the
08:05water on the side of the pitch, so they stayed there, ready to go again. I would understand
08:10if the manager called us together to have a team talk or a speech, but it was nothing
08:15like that, it was just water and we're back on the pitch. So for them, I don't blame them,
08:20they're the furthest guys on the pitch and we just scored, so everybody's excited and
08:25that was the situation.
08:30Good afternoon to both of you and best of luck, Tammy, for your spell with Milan. I'll
08:41start with Abraham, then I'll move on to the CEO. You scored three goals against Milan
08:45with Roma, including a very painful one in that infamous two-all draw, which really sparked
08:51a very tricky spell for Stefano Pioli's Milan, so you need to make yourself forgiven by the
09:00fans, how do you plan on doing that? As for the CEO, could you comment on the scene involving
09:10Ateo Hernandez and Rafa Leal on the other side of the pitch, what was your take on that
09:14and have you spoken to the players?
09:17Like I said earlier in this interview, this club has, for everyone, for growing up as
09:28a kid, this club was the biggest club in the world. They've won major trophies, they've
09:34won a lot of competitions, they've had great players, so first of all it's an honour for
09:39me to be here and to play in such a fantastic city, in such a fantastic stadium with amazing
09:45fans. For me, I'm here to win. This is a club that's won a lot of things and I want
09:51to be part of that history, so as much as I can, I'm going to help the team and hopefully
09:56lift some silverware at the end of the season. This is my ambition, this is my dream, so
10:02this is what I want to achieve.
10:03Thank you. Tammy's touched upon that incident a little bit, the adrenaline was pumping over
10:15the course of the match, etc. What I would say is, we've spoken a great deal about this,
10:21I think too much has been said about this. We and the senior management and the players
10:26themselves were actually very surprised by the fallout, the reaction to this. Paolo Fonseca,
10:38Teo Hernandez, they commented on this saying it was a non-event, Teo spoke on behalf of
10:44Rafa as well, Tammy's touched upon it now and I'm speaking about it now. You can believe
10:50us or not, but ultimately from our side it really is a non-event.
10:59Good afternoon to both of you. A couple of questions for the CEO first. What the fans
11:05often don't understand is why your policy is to sign three or four players for 20 million
11:15euros as opposed to going all in on more of a match winner, at least on paper. Second
11:21question on a personal level, how are you experiencing the first tough time of your
11:28role? You come from a different sector, have you ever considered what am I doing here,
11:33why am I getting involved in football?
11:39On the first point, I often say that in football people focus a great deal on price as opposed
11:52to value. Price does not necessarily equate to value. We believe that we have signed some
12:01good players that play our brand of football and that will contribute to success for Milan.
12:07So the number, the price tag is irrelevant in many ways.
12:15As for the second question, it's quite interesting. I hadn't actually thought in that way what
12:21you were saying. It's not a nice time, but we will come through it by working hard and
12:27staying together.
12:31You have come up with Alvaro Morata. There was a pre-season you spent with him at Chelsea
12:41before you moved. Do you think you could play with Alvaro as well?
12:45I was with him when I was young at Chelsea. I grew up watching him also and luckily I
12:52got the chance to train with him. He's like a big brother to me ever since I first trained
12:57with him. He's an experienced striker, which I love, and he's a leader. So it would be
13:04nice to sometimes be on the pitch with him and it would be nice to partner up and help
13:10this club win games.
13:11You've played for some top clubs, Chelsea, Roma. I'm sure you have encountered some
13:27leaders in the past. When you moved to Milan, which were the players that struck you as
13:33leaders right from the word go, those that gave you a warm welcome and you immediately
13:37realised that they're big figures in the dressing room?
13:41Like I said earlier, I just came off the plane and I played a game. I haven't had the
13:46chance to sit down and talk with everyone yet, but it's a thing where it will take time
13:52to settle down, to develop, to get used to it again. It's a club that I've played against
13:57in the past couple of years, so I know a lot of them. I've been familiar with them, most
14:03of my friends. It's been nice. The fans have welcomed me, my team-mates, the staff. I'm
14:10still getting to learn names of the staff and everyone, but it's been nice since I've
14:14arrived.
14:15You spoke in glowing terms about Milan and also your love for the club as a kid. Roma,
14:34did you no longer feel that you got the faith of the club, Romelu Lukaku and then Artur
14:40Dovbik? Not only was it a case of you joining Milan, did you also want to leave Roma?
14:44No, it's not a situation where I've lost confidence. It's a club that everybody and the fans know
14:49how much it means to me. I enjoyed playing there also, but I think sometimes in life
14:56you need to know when to take the next step, to take the next level. Luckily for me, this
15:02is the point of my life where this moment has arrived. I'm here now, my focus is here.
15:08Of course I wish Roma well, but like I said, my concentration is here and I'm trying to
15:12win things at Milan.
15:14A question for Tammy. I wanted to ask you why it is that you tend to perform best in
15:32year one at a new club in terms of goals scored, etc, and then your performance levels tend
15:37to tail off, but you immediately produce an assist on your debut. You always make a
15:43flying start, don't you? Is that a good sign going forward? Accepting a one-year contract,
16:04does that also mean that you're additionally motivated?
16:13For me it's been a situation where, like I told you in life, many different things happen.
16:19The first year was, of course, speaking of Rome, the first year was good in Rome and
16:25then after that the second year was a bit difficult, which players have, I guess we're
16:31humans, this happens in life. And of course the injury I had that kept me out of football
16:37for so long, but this is my chance to show everyone that I'm back, this is my chance
16:43to show the world that I'm here and I want to help the team as much as possible. So my
16:48focus, if it's a year, if it's ten years here, my focus and my ambition is to win and that's
16:56what I want to do.
16:57Hi Tami, welcome to Milan and welcome to Milan. You're a very physical player but do you think
17:11you're better in the air, in general terms, or given that I'm a lot older than you, let
17:19me give you a bit of advice. If you play in Italy, try and learn a bit of Italian, it
17:25will be useful for you in daily life.
17:32I think I'm 27 years old and I still don't know what kind of player I am, but I'm a goal
17:40scorer, I want to help the team as much as possible. I am a tall guy so everyone expects
17:45me to just use my head but I'm also good with my feet. So you will see a lot of different
17:51styles of play for me and, like I said, also with my Italian. I understand Italian but
18:05my speaking is not the best, that's the only thing.
18:10Tami, you're a very lucky guy because you can become a legend. I'll explain to you why
18:25very quickly because I'll talk you through club history, Potted history. The last English
18:33striker at Milan was Mark Hateley, I'm sure you're familiar with Mark Hateley. Mark Hateley
18:38scored a goal in the derby 40 years ago after five or six years when Milan hadn't won a
18:46derby and Milan have now gone six derbies without winning. Mark Hateley didn't leave
18:55a huge mark on Milan history but it did make him a Rossoneri legend with that goal. Do
19:01you hope to be a match winner in that derby so that we can get Milan back to winning ways
19:05in the derby? Mark Hateley scored a lovely header in that game. As an English striker,
19:11are you dreaming of a derby like that?
19:16I think I've watched in the past four or five years, I think I've watched every derby game,
19:21Milan versus Inter. I'm so excited to be here now, I'm excited to play in these games. So
19:30I'm looking forward to it. You have my word, I'll give my 100 per cent best because once
19:37I'm here, my heart's here, my mind's here. I'm also a fan like you guys so I want the
19:43best for the club. Thank you for these words and I'll do my best to also become a legend too.