A new era, in terms of ownership, has dawned upon Chelsea with Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali taking over as new owners to replace the two-decade-old Roman Abramovich. However, this has not had any effect on their fortunes as the “Blues” yet again failed to bring home the Premier League. The latest setback has brought into focus Romelu Lukaku’s continuation in the team. The Belgian striker was brought in from Inter Milan last summer to put an end to the Champions League drought of Chelsea. However, he has failed to live up to his lofty expectations and is gradually becoming a liability for the “Blues”. So, let us understand the reasons why Chelsea would be better off without Lukaka.
Runs The Risk Of Being A Bad Influence On The Team
Lukaku has been very upset over the methods of Thomas Tuchel and he made it very apparent about the same in an interview last year, which did not exactly go down well with the top management of the team. To make matters worse, his lackluster run in the current season forced Tuchel to bench Lukaku in several games in their current campaign as well. These things can easily go against the team’s interests as an unhappy and underperforming player in the dressing room can feed off negative energy among other team members as well. Hence, in the larger interest of the team, one gets a feeling that the Belgian would be better utilized elsewhere but not in Chelsea.
Not Gelling With Tuchel’s Scheme Of Things
The Belgian was brought on board with the hopes of taking the club to greater glories in the next couple of years, including the season 2021-22. However, despite making a good start with the “Blues”, where Lukaku scored 4 goals from as many games, his form deserted him in no time. Then an injury forced him on the sidelines for several weeks as well. Even after the recovery, Lukaku looked totally out of sync with the plans of Tuchel and his teammates. This made Tuchel rely more on Kai Havertz in the second half of their season as the German excelled both in the link-up play and collecting ball by going deep. Sadly, Lukaku was found wanting in these aspects. So, all these force one to ask the question, do Chelsea need Lukaku as part of their campaign next season?
Regain The Monetary Muscle To Sign Other Strikers
Lukaku came to Chelsea following the £97.5 record deal to move him from Inter Milan in August last year and by inking a five-year deal worth £200,000 per week. These aren’t small amounts by any stretch of the imagination and the Belgian has done precious little to deserve the high price tag. Even if one ignores his average run in the season so far, it is impossible to paper over the disconnect between him, Tuchel and the rest of the players. So, Lukaku just simply does not fit into the system devised by Tuchel. Also, by freeing Lukaku, Chelsea can save a lot of money, which can be utilized to bring in a new striker who could seamlessly merge with the present system at Chelsea. Hence, Chelsea should take a call soon with regard to the retention of Lukaku.
