"Nothing has changed" - Mauricio Pochettino admits Chelsea outcast will not feature for the club until the transfer window ends
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has hinted that there are no plans to bring wantaway striker Romelu Lukaku back to the first-team fold before the summer transfer window closes.
Lukaku's second stint at Stamford Bridge has been nothing short of a disaster. The Belgian striker arrived in London following a stellar return of 30 goals and 10 assists in 44 games across competitions as Inter Milan won the 2020-21 Scudetto.
However, his €100 million price tag proved to be a burden, as Lukaku never got close to reaching those numbers with the Blues. He bagged only 15 goals and two assists in 44 games across competitions and was shipped back to the Nerazzurri for a season-long loan spell.
Lukaku, though, was plagued by injury and poor form last season, as he recorded only 14 goals and seven assists in 37 games across competitions. With a permanent move to Inter breaking down, the Belgian arrived back at Stamford Bridge. However, he hasn't featured for the Blues this season, with Tottenham Hotspur interested in his services (as per The Express).
With Lukaku's future uncertain, Pochettino said that the Belgian's situation remains unchanged from the club's perspective (as per Metro):
"You cannot put it only on the club. It is about both sides. The situation is where it is because of both sides. Both sides have arrived at an agreement. We were informed before we signed about the situation of every single player. After we signed, we had the squad that we had."
"It is so clear that nothing has changed, and if there is something to inform, then, we will inform. There is nothing for us to do – I need to be focused on my team to try to perform. We cannot spend energy on a situation that was clear before we arrived at Chelsea."
Chelsea slump to defeat against West Ham United
After opening their 2023-24 Premier League campaign with a 1-1 home draw to Liverpool on August 13, Chelsea slumped to a defeat against West Ham United on Saturday (August 20).
Nayef Aguerd opened the scoring for the hosts in the seventh minute. Carney Chukwuemeka, though, restored parity for the Blues in the 29th minute. Pochettino's men had the chance to go in front, but Enzo Fernandez missed his 43rd-minute spot-kick.
West Ham made the visitors pay, with Michail Antonio firing his team in front eight minutes into the second half. Aguerd saw red in the 67th minute, but it was the 10-men hosts who scored the next goal, with Lucas Paqueta burying a 95th-minute penalty to confirm the result.