“That’s just a ridiculous rumour” – Agbonlahor believes there is ‘no chance’ of Chelsea man joining Premier League rivals
Gabriel Agbanlahor does not believe Chelsea will sell Romelu Lukaku to Tottenham Hotspur.
Romelu Lukaku was recently drawn to the center of a massive controversy at Chelsea after his unsanctioned interview with Sky Italia.
Lukaku told Sky that he was unhappy with Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea during that chat. Lukaku further claimed he longed to return to Inter Milan and only came to Chelsea after failing to join Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
As expected, the club and their fans were upset with Lukaku's interview. Head coach Thomas Tuchel removed the player from the squad that faced Liverpool last weekend.
Chelsea held talks with him on Monday and Lukaku has apologized on air since then.
However, things are unlikely to go back to how they were soon. It has led to reports that Chelsea might part ways with the Belgian. Lukaku's former Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte is at Tottenham Hotspur at the moment.
If Spurs part ways with Harry Kane, they will need a new number nine. It has led to reports that Chelsea could sell their unhappy striker. However, former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbanlahor has rubbished those reports.
“There is 100 per cent chance of it not happening,” Agbonlahor told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“That’s just a ridiculous rumour. If Chelsea are going to sell Lukaku they’re going to want exactly £100million. Spurs are not going to spend that, not when they’ve got Harry Kane as a striker."
He added:
“No chance of it happening. I think Lukaku’s situation at Chelsea will be solved. He’ll probably score in the FA Cup game and it will all be forgotten. The club will see Lukaku as an important player, he’s now apologised. You move on. What he’s done is not enough to banish him, he will be back playing.”
Chelsea have a squad crisis ahead of a congested January fixture schedule
Chelsea have suffered from an injury crisis this season. The squad currently has as many as seven players missing from action due to injuries and Covid-19. There have not been below three absentees since the end of November for any given Chelsea match.
It has now peaked with Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Andreas Christensen all ruled out due to injuries, while Ben Chilwell remains a long-term absentee. N'Golo Kante and Thiago Silva have tested positive for Covid-19.
Cesar Azpilicueta had to be replaced in their last match against Tottenham after he appeared to have pulled a leg muscle. Their next fixture is against Chesterfield in the FA Cup on January 8.