Chelsea striker, Romelu Lukaku, in training.
In conversation with Het Nieuwsblad (h/t Mirror), Former RSC Anderlecht boss Ariel Jacobs claims that the dynamic between Chelsea and Romelu Lukaku may now be getting too tense. Jacobs has previously coached the Belgian striker during his time at Anderlecht and is also believed to be the one who launched his career.
The 28-year-old made a return to Stamford Bridge this summer in a club-record £97.5million deal. Despite spending the big bucks, we are yet to see the former Manchester United striker recreate the kind of form that he was displaying at Inter Milan.
Lukaku did play a crucial role in our journey to the club’s first-ever FIFA Club World Cup title with goals in the semi-final as well as the final. That being said, he has struggled to create a lasting impact in the Premier League as well as the UEFA Champions League.
His display against Crystal Palace in their last PL outing saw the 28-year-old striker amass a combined total of only seven touches during the game. The Belgian international was subsequently dropped for the UCL fixture against LOSC Lille and Kai Havertz made quite an impact playing as a centre-forward, opening the scoring on the night in the absence of Lukaku.
Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad (h/t Mirror), Ariel Jacobs shared his view on the current state of affairs between Romelu Lukaku and Chelsea. He also made it a point to highlight that a good run of games can turn the tide in favour of the player.
“It has gone off the rails. The situation has got out of hand. In that sense, I could understand Tuchel’s decision, but if it really had an effect? In the next games, all eyes will be on Romelu again. The only thing that can really turn the tide is a good run of games. With lots of goals. But give Romelu a decent chance, and he’ll also hit the back of the net.”
The ex-Everton striker has struggled to get going ever since joining the Blues and hasn’t really been quite the upgrade on Timo Werner that we thought he could be. According to a recent report by Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Metro), Lukaku could be eyeing a return to the Nerazzurri after spending only a short time at the London-based club.
The 28-year-old played an instrumental part in helping Inter Milan lift their first Scudetto in 11 years under former manager Antonio Conte. His exploits then saw Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea break the bank to secure his services. Midway through the season and the fans are still waiting for him to recreate that magic at Stamford Bridge.
With the EFL Cup final just around the corner and Havertz putting up an exceptional display against Lille in the Champions League, Thomas Tuchel could well be tempted to play the 22-year-old German international against Liverpool on Sunday.
Jacobs’ comments make sense in that regard. English football fans don’t really have that short of a memory. If Lukaku was benched to get the heat off his back due to his questionable form, he would be under the microscope once again whenever he is played next.
The only way out of this rut seems to be scoring a few goals in important games. If anyone can do that, it’s Romelu Lukaku- a proven striker that has proven time and again that he knows where the back of the net is.
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