€115m Lukaku could be worst Premier League signing in history
Stefan Bienkowski
- 3 Jan 2022 11:22 GMT
- 3 min read
A few months ago Romelu Lukaku looked like the perfect signing for Thomas Tuchel and his Chelsea side.
Brought back to Stamford Bridge after bagging 30 goals and 10 assists in 44 games for Inter, the towering striker was deemed the final piece of the puzzle for the new Chelsea manager as he looked to bounce back in the Premier League and wrestle the league title out of Manchester City’s hands.
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However, six months on and things haven’t gone to plan at all. Lukaku isn’t scoring, the club aren’t winning and it seems as though Chelsea’s once-heralded striker could now be nothing more than a busted flush.
A waste of money… so far
The biggest problem with Lukaku to date is that he simply hasn’t lived up to the billing as a Chelsea star player.
Signed for no less than £103.5 million, the Belgium international was the most expensive Chelsea signing ever and the fourth most expensive in Premier League history.
Tuchel on Romelu Lukaku out: “The thing got too big, too noisy, so close to the match, so I decided to protect the preparation for the match”, he told @SkySports. 🔵 #CFC
“Of course we have spoken, twice to the main players - but after that we had to realise it’s too big”. pic.twitter.com/qm3AJnDjPS— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 2, 2022
However, since making the move to Stamford Bridge, Lukaku has managed just seven goals and two assists in 18 appearances.
When we break that down based on the minutes he’s played to date, it works out at just 0.72 goals or assists per 90. Which is less than Timo Werner’s average of 0.74 per 90 minutes.
Not what Chelsea needed
While Chelsea fans will be hugely disgruntled at Lukaku’s remarks about returning to the club, there may be some truth in the player pointing out that he’s being misused by Tuchel in the club’s current tactics.
Last season Lukaku played as a poacher or a mobile No.9 for Inter to great effect, as mentioned above.
However, this time around, while Lukaku is very much still a poacher in the box, he’s also being asked to do a lot more running and tasked with closing down opposing defenders.
Such a role makes perfect sense in Tuchel’s system - which ultimately won Chelsea the Champions League - but it isn’t exactly what Lukaku does best. Which raises all sorts of questions as to why the club signed the striker in the first place if a more mobile and selfless forward would have slotted into the manager’s tactics far easier.
