“Painful and helpful”: Chelsea superstar reveals earlier spell with the Blues helped shape him as a player

Romelu Lukaku believes his first spell at Chelsea was painful but ultimately rewarding

According to the club’s official website, Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has opened up on the painful first spell he had with the club earlier on in his career.

A sensational prospect at RSC Anderlecht, he moved to Stamford Bridge in 2011. He struggled to make himself be seen at the Bridge and was loaned out to West Bromwich Albion and Everton.

He eventually made the move to Merseyside permanent and established himself as one of the most dominant frontmen in the league. This eventually earned him a move to Manchester United.

He took unnecessarily flak despite good performances and was sold to Inter Milan in 2019. He proved to be a massive hit at the San Siro and led the Nerazzurri to the Scudetto in 2020/21. This eventually saw him brought back to Chelsea in a club-record deal worth £97.5million.

Lukaku has enjoyed better luck this time around and has scored four goals in nine games so far. While it is far from a prolific return, he looks a much more potent player this time around.

The 28-year-old admits his first spell was difficult but believes it laid the foundation for him to become the player he is today.

“It was painful and helpful, but I would say more helpful because it gave me the mentality and the mindset that I needed to become the player I am today.”

Talent is not everything!

Talent is not everything and Lukaku began to realize that he needed to put in the hard work to succeed. Not everyone can make it at a top tier club such as Chelsea.

“As an 18-year-old, I saw first-hand every day how much the players worked on their craft.”

He feels welcomed at the Bridge and is keen to go on and achieve much with Chelsea. The Blues have the quality and will now need to make it count on the pitch.

“My team-mates have made life very easy for me and the coach is doing a great job. Our performances have been good but we’re always looking for the next challenge.”

More Chelsea News

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• Transfer News: Chelsea keeping tabs on Inter Milan star Marcelo Brozovic

Lukaku is currently nursing an injury and was forced to withdraw from the Belgium squad on Sunday. It remains to be seen if he will feature at the weekend against Brentford.