Chelsea must ensure they keep Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku is one of the best young stars in the Premier League
Chelsea currently sit 2nd in the Premier League, 2 points adrift of Liverpool, and are definitely still title contenders but find themselves lacking firepower up front. The trio of Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o have just 15 goals between them in the Premier League compared to leaders Liverpool whose strikers, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez have fired an astonishing 49 goals.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has stated that he has lost faith in his front men and opted to play Andre Schurrle as a false 9 in the 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League. The Portuguese manager will certainly part ways with his misfiring strikers at the end of this season and has already set his sights on world class forwards like Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa and PSG’s Edinson Cavani.
While misfiring strikers remain an issue at Stamford Bridge, one Chelsea striker has quietly been bagging goals for his temporary club Everton. That striker goes by the name of Romelu Lukaku. The 20-year-old was signed by the Blues in 2011 for a fee of £10 million which could rise to £17 million based on future appearances. The Belgian made 12 appearances for Chelsea in the 2011-2012 season before being loaned out to West Bromwich Albion where he blossomed, scoring 17 goals including a hat-trick against Manchester United in a 5-5 draw on the last day of the season.
Everybody expected Lukaku to be in Chelsea’s first team this season due to his heroics with the Baggies, but were proved wrong when Mourinho shipped him out on loan to Everton. Lukaku has been great for the Toffees and has netted 13 goals along with 6 assists this season including a brace against cross town rivals Liverpool. The youngster is very strong, and quick, qualities important for a striker, but he has also shown his love for dribbling as he averages at least 1.4 dribbles per game.
Lukaku has already represented his country in the World Cup qualifiers and his two goals against Croatia helped Belgium qualify for the competition.
In spite of his brilliant season at Everton, recent reports have suggested that Jose Mourinho may be willing to sell Lukaku so that he doesn’t violate the Financial Fair Play Rules when he decides to go in for Diego Costa or any other world class striker. Also, Mourinho was not very happy with Lukaku earlier in the season, when he declared his happiness at having gone out on loan. Chelsea have taken serious steps to reduce their wage bill. Mourinho showed his ruthless side when he sold two time Chelsea Player of the Year Juan Mata to Manchester United and may sell Lukaku to make way for a more established striker.
Lukaku’s agent has already stated that Tottenham Hotspur are interested in the services of his client. Tottenham, who are looking for someone to provide competition to underperforming striker Roberto Soldado are willing to meet Lukaku’s £25 million valuation. The player’s agent even stated that he personally spoke to Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy about a potential transfer. Chelsea may be hesitant to sell their player to a local rival but may do business if Spurs show them the money.
If Chelsea go ahead and sell Lukaku it wouldn’t be a wise move on their part. Lukaku has proven that he is capable of performing in the Premier League and has shown everyone that he can be relied upon in big games. The Belgium international has shown that his combination of size and speed help him get past the toughest of defences, which can be a real asset to Chelsea’s attack.
Chelsea will have a proven Premier League goalscorer in Lukaku unlike Costa who may take time to adapt to the English game. Tottenham’s £26 million striker Roberto Soldado scored goals for fun at Valencia but is struggling to adapt to the Premier League where he has scored a paltry six goals. There is no reason why Costa won’t face the same problem at Chelsea.
The final decision lies with Jose Mourinho but I really hope he keeps hold of the promising striker. Lukaku, who idolizes Blues legend Didier Drogba, has a lot of affection for the London club and Stamford Bridge and was once quoted as saying “What a stadium. If one day in my life I will cry, it will be the day I play here. I love Chelsea” Let’s hope Mourinho helps Lukaku fulfil his Chelsea dream.