“What was wrong with him?” - Joe Cole slams Chelsea for offloading attacker amid goal scoring woes
Former Premier League midfielder Joe Cole questioned Chelsea's decision to let Romelu Lukaku leave amid their struggles in front of goal following their 2-0 loss against Brentford on Saturday. He also boldly claimed that there was something fundamentally wrong with the Blues.
Mauricio Pochettino and company fell to a 2-0 defeat against the Bees on Saturday. Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo scored one goal apiece to end the Blues' run of four games without defeat.
It was the same old story for Chelsea as they dominated possession and had numerous big chances to score but were unable to convert any. The Blues have scored just 13 goals in 10 Premier League games this season. Nicolas Jackson has struggled for form in attack, scoring just three goals in 11 appearances across all competitions.
To make matters worse, the Blues' only other option up front, Armando Broja, has been plagued with injury issues, being limited to just four appearances this season.
Chelsea opted to loan Romelu Lukaku to Roma in the summer following his unsuccessful £97 million deal in 2021. The Belgian has gone on to score eight goals in 10 appearances, much to Cole's frustration.
He told TNT Sports (via METRO):
"You here all the buzz words around the club but at the end of the day, we can’t score goals. With Romelu Lukaku, for all of his faults, he was in the door. He was a success at Inter Milan, he scored goals at Everton and West Brom in this country, why couldn’t he score goals at Chelsea? What was wrong [with him?]"
"He is scoring goals now for Roma," he added. "So we have to look within ourselves, what is wrong with this club at the moment? I don’t blame the manager one bit.
"Him and his staff are doing everything they can and I don’t even blame the players. They are all top players. The squad is unbalanced, but there is something wrong fundamentally with the club at the moment."
The Blues have been linked with moves to sign Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney in the January transfer window to bolster their strength in attack.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino hails 21-year-old star despite 2-0 loss against Brentford
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino showered praise on Cole Palmer despite his side losing 2-0 against Brentford.
Palmer had a phenomenal game against the Bees, creating four big chances with a pass accuracy of 86 percent. He also made 13 passes into the final third but was let down by his teammates' poor finishing. Moreover, he made four recoveries and won 100 percent of his tackles.
Pochettino said (via The Chelsea Chronicle):
“He’s showing a great performance, character and personality. You know, it’s always about the team and when you don’t win. For sure he is disappointed and we are all disappointed.
"We are happy in the way he arrived. He arrived in the last moment of the transfer window, he’s playing like he’s here for 10 years and showing his character and personality.”
Despite Palmer's heroics, the Blues are languishing in 11th in the standings with 12 points from 10 games. They will look to bounce back in their next league fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, November 6.