“No matter what the score is, his name always seems to be on the scoresheet” – Shaun Wright-Phillips names ‘phenomenal’ replacement for Lukaku at Chelsea
Former Chelsea forward Shaun Wright-Phillips believes Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski would be the perfect replacement for Romelu Lukaku.
The talismanic Bayern striker's future is one of interest as talks over a new contract between the Bavarians and the Polish forward have reached an impasse.
Jan Aage Fjortfort reports that the striker will either sign a new deal, be sold this summer, or be allowed to leave for free in 2023.
One club that is reportedly interested in Lewandowski is Chelsea, who have been encountering their own issues with their star striker Lukaku.
The Belgian has encountered somewhat of a nightmare return to Stamford Bridge since his club-record £97.8 million move from Inter Milan last summer.
Wright-Phillips believes Thomas Tuchel should look to replace the Belgian with the Bayern Munich striker.
He told LordPing (via Football London):
"No matter what the score is, his name always seems to be on the scoresheet. At the minute, Chelsea doesn't seem to suit the way Lukaku plays. It's either Rom needs to change his game up a little bit, or Chelsea has to change their tactics to suit the way he plays. At the same time, you've got to do what you've got to do. As a professional player, you know what's in front of you."
Lukaku has just 12 goals in 36 games for the Blues, across competitions, since his return. Lewandoski, on the other hand, has a remarkable 47 goals in 41 Bayern games, from various tournaments.
Wright-Phillips continued,
"If you want to be successful, you might have to sometimes change the way you play. It's hard to tell [if Lukaku will stay] because can any club afford him? He's in a situation where he got bought for a lot of money. Not a lot of clubs have that sort of money lying around, especially with COVID. Chelsea will have to move players around, so it depends if that option is even available. He's got to make a decision, and he's got to fight for his career and fight to play. That's what happens at Chelsea."
Romelu Lukaku made his comeback to Chelsea, after being brought from Inter Milan, amidst great fanfare at the start of this season. The record deal that sealed his transfer amounted to a fee of £97.5 million.
But, as the season has unfolded, Lukaku seems to have progressed on a downward spiral. He has failed to produce the kind of work rate on the field and display the sort of skills that made him a star. Injuries too have hampered his progress and he has been used as a substitute, not as a frontline player.
What has made the matters worse is his expression of love for his former club. Lukaku did an interview with Sky Italia where he openly talked about being unhappy with his position in the team presently. He also suggested that Thomas Tuchel isn't using him in the best possible manner.
Can we go after Lewandowski, who could be available this summer? Partner him with Havertz up top and use Broja rotationally. I don't think Havertz and Broja are going to score 30 goals next season. We need to improve our attack. Broja will learn a lot from Lewa. Lukaku could go.
Chelsea will face competition for Robert Lewandowski
With the Polish striker's future under intense speculation, there have been a number of clubs touted with a move.
Barcelona are reportedly in talks with the player's agent Pini Zahavi and AS claim the striker has told Bayern he wants to move to the La Liga giants.
#FCB
Barcelona director Alemany: “We don’t have any agreement with Robert Lewandowski”, he told Movistar. 🔴🇵🇱 #FCB
“We deeply respect him - he is a very important player for his club. We are in the field of speculation, which is logical. But there’s nothing agreed”. https://t.co/72EUrMFbet
Polish journalist Tomas Wlodarczyk told AS (via TribalFootball):
"I managed to get in touch with Pini Zahavi and he told me that with Barcelona and Bayern, nothing was settled, the case is open. Pini Zahavi is going to Barcelona on April 27 and on April 28, he will be in Munich. I guess he will have the opportunity to discuss with Barca the terms of Robert's contract, and later, with this information, he will go to Munich to speak to (sporting director) Oliver Kahn."
Thomas Tuchel's side will therefore face an uphill battle to lure Lewandowski to Stamford Bridge if these reports are true.