"He has lit a fire, a fire that only he can put out" - Graeme Souness slams Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku for 'ridiculous and damaging statement'
Romelu Lukaku's recent controversial interview has wreaked havoc at Chelsea and the Belgian superstar is starting to face the wrath of fans and experts. Recently, former Liverpool star and football pundit Graeme Souness slammed Lukaku for his comments and added that the interview had 'ridiculous and damaging' statements in it.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Souness added that Chelsea's star striker has lit a fire which can only be put out by the player himself.
"We’re trying to understand how a player could get his head where it has been to come out with such a ridiculous and damaging statement. He’s 29 years old (actually 28), he’s not 19. He should have known better that this statement damages the football club enormously.
"He has got to hold his hand up and say it wasn’t the right place, ‘I made a mistake, I apologise unreservedly’. He has lit a fire, a fire that only he can put out. The solution has to come from him. He can’t be expected to be welcomed back into the fold if he is unrepentant," said Graeme Souness.
During the 2020-21 season, Romelu Lukaku was unstoppable and the main man behind Inter Milan's first Scudetto victory since 2010. Lukaku ended up being the top scorer for the Nerazzurri with 24 goals scored in all competitions.
Many expected Lukaku to stay at Milan as the player was well-suited to the Italian league. However, the Belgian striker decided to sign for Chelsea when Inter Milan refused to give him a contract extension.
Chelsea bought Lukaku from Inter Milan for a a club-record fee of £97.5m during the last summer transfer window. Thomas Tuchel wanted to sign the 28-year-old and was confident the player would fit perfectly into his tactical setup.
However, six months into his contract, Lukaku has publicly stated that he wants to leave Chelsea and possibly rejoin Inter Milan during a controversial interview with Sky Sports.
The timing of the interview caused a lot of trouble for Chelsea as it was released just a day before their crucial PL tie with Liverpool. Experts and fans expressed their rage at Lukaku for going public about his desire to leave the club.
Lukaku stated that he is not happy with his current situation at Stamford Bridge as he feels he hasn't started enough games for the Blues. The Belgian has made 13 Premier League appearances for the Blues this season, starting eight of them.
That Lukaku interview is next level. I’ve never seen anything like it and he’s only been there 5 months after Chelsea spent £100m on him ffs
Romelu Lukaku was left out of Chelsea's squad against Liverpool
After his tendentious interview, Romelu Lukaku was left out of Chelsea's squad against Liverpool. Tuchel stated that the issue created too much noise around the team and he decided to snub Lukaku to protect his team from further fuss.
Tuchel on Romelu Lukaku out: “The thing got too big, too noisy, so close to the match, so I decided to protect the preparation for the match”, he told @SkySports. 🔵 #CFC
“Of course we have spoken, twice to the main players - but after that we had to realise it’s too big”. https://t.co/qm3AJnDjPS
Chelsea went on to draw against Liverpool after making a come back from two goals down. Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic scored two stunning goals for the Blues which earned them a well-deserved point against a strong Liverpool side.