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Chelsea paid a boatload of cash to reunite with Romelu Lukaku last summer in the hope that he would serve as the No. 9 they desperately needed. Unfortunately, things didn't go to plan for the Belgian, struggling to stay healthy and find consistent minutes under Thomas Tuchel.
Lukaku made just 26 appearances for Chelsea in Premier League action, only starting 16 times. He also bagged a mere eight goals and everything essentially went downhill when Lukaku did a bombshell interview with Sky Sports Italy and said he wanted to stay at Inter Milan.
It's clear Lukaku isn't happy with life in West London and with the Serie A giants keen on a loan move for him, here are 3 reasons Chelsea should cut their ties and sell him this summer.
3 reasons Chelsea should sell Romelu Lukaku this summer
3. Lukaku doesn't want to be at Chelsea
As previously mentioned, Lukaku voiced his displeasure with even coming to Chelsea in the first place. He was livid with how his departure from Inter went down and vowed that he would one day return to the club. You can't really blame Lukaku because the Belgium international absolutely flourished at the San Siro, but that's the absolute last thing the Blues and their supporters want to hear from a player they just splashed over $100 million on.
As of right now, Lukaku is worth $93.5 million, per Transfermarkt. Chelsea paid $124 million for him. While that's still a ton of money for any club to put out for a forward who just had one of his worst seasons in years, the Blues should be doing everything imaginable to try and offload him and just accept their losses. As soon as Lukaku opened up about his doubts in even joining Chelsea in the first place, it was evident he made the wrong decision to come back to the Premier League.
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2. He's too slow for the Premier League
Lukaku broke onto the scene with Everton many years ago as a pacey, goal-scoring frontman who had the physicality and speed to beat almost any defender in the English top flight. But now, the Chelsea outcast is simply just a physical presence who doesn't really have the ability to beat oppositions with his legs anymore. Yes, Lukaku is still very strong on the ball, but the Premier League is full of the best players in Europe. They simply aren't going to be outrun by Lukaku as he typically did in Serie A. That leads right into the next point.
1. He doesn't fit in Chelsea's system
While Lukaku isn't as quick anymore, Tuchel's system is simply just not built for Lukaku. At Inter, he and Lautaro Martinez played off each other as a front two and liked to get in behind into space on a very consistent basis. At Chelsea, Tuchel operates with a front three typically, with most of their link-up play coming from the flanks. Problem is that Lukaku likes to play centrally and go at defenders. Tuchel has the Belgian playing with his back to goal a lot where he's laying off balls to his attacking mates who usually move the ball wide and whip in crosses.
Chelsea isn't going to change their system for Lukaku. The hope was he would be able to adapt to how the Blues operate and find his best. But, that simply hasn't been the case. Lukaku enjoys it when he has a lone strike partner like at Inter with Martinez wreaking havoc alongside him. Italy isn't England, but this is where Lukaku thrived the most. Although Inter doesn't have the money to buy him this summer, it would be best for him and Chelsea if he took his talents back to the club on loan.
Chelsea and its fans really wished Romelu Lukaku could come back to Stamford Bridge and be the answer to their attacking woes. A full season, injuries considered, is enough to see it isn't going to happen. The Blues should just keep operating with Kai Havertz as their false nine and focus on signing players in other areas, specifically in the middle of the park and at the back. They just need to accept that Lukaku's time at the club needs to come to a close.
