Every team has a player with an immense amount of potential. For Arsenal it’s Calum Chambers or Aaron Ramsey, for Liverpool it’s Jordan Ibe, and for Manchester United it’s Luke Shaw and Nick Powell etc. Well for Chelsea one of those players was Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku was like that girl you thought was yours but was always with other guys just teasing you with her greatness. Every year she would come back but always end up leaving you for somebody who gave her more time. Except this time she left permanently.
The Belgium international recently left Chelsea for £28m to join Everton. Many Chelsea fans were sad because he has great potential to become the world’s best striker, others were glad to get him and his attitude off of our wage bill. But with him leaving Chelsea are weakened offensively. But could there be a silver lining to his departure?
Lukaku first came to Chelsea at the age of 18 from RSC Anderlecht. He arrival at Stamford Bridge cost Chelsea somewhere around £18m. He was deemed to be the new ‘Didier Drogba’ because of his size and speed. He also came to the Blues as a self proclaimed Chelsea fan. He spent his first season in England at SW6 and made 10 appearances for the London based team. By the end of the historic Champions League winning season, Lukaku refused to hold the big-eared trophy aloft because he did not feel like a winner since he barely even played.
The following season he was loaned out to West Brom and had a superb season with them. He played 35 games with the they and scored 17 goals. Chelsea could have surely used his abilities to help them win the title, instead Chelsea dropped out of the UCL group stages and scraped to a win against Benfica in order to capture the Europa League trophy. Lukaku was possibly the biggest reason for why the Baggies finished in 8th place that season.
Before the new season started Chelsea participated in the UEFA Super Cup final. The game between Chelsea and Bayern Munich went to penalties, and who would have guessed that the penalty taker that could have won it for the Blues would be Romelu Lukaku. Very similar situation to Drogba’s pk in the UCL final. Anyhow, Lukaku stepped up and, in what might have been the catalyst for his loan move to Everton, missed. Then came the 2013-2014 season. Probably the most important season in Lukaku’s career to date. It was also Everton’s best ever season as they managed to secure a Europa League spot by finishing 5th with new manager Roberto Martinez and on loan striker Lukaku. The Belgian made 31 appearances with the Merseyside team and scored 15 goals. More than Chelsea strikers Ba, Eto’o, and Torres, combined.
The season ended and the World Cup came. With fellow Belgian Benteke injured, it seemed Lukaku would be charged with the duty to score goals for Belgium. He could not score the goals necessary for his nation to win against Argentina or at least convince people that this golden generation was to be feared. He didn’t even get a chance to return to London before he got what he ultimately wanted. More playtime. By moving to Everton officially, this guaranteed Lukaku playtime, a top six finish, and European football. But with him leaving Chelsea, the blues now have a weakened strikeforce that consists of 36-year-old Drogba, Torres ( affectionately known as the waste of £50m), and Costa, someone who is yet to prove himself in England.
Now that the background of Lukaku’s career has been told it is time to tell what the silver lining is. Obviously Lukaku benefited from this move but in a way Chelsea did too. Chelsea have made a profit of around 10 million pounds just by selling Lukaku. A player who never scored for his the London club. Lukaku was also very clear with Mourinho that he wanted to be Chelsea’s number one striker. How could he expect to be the number one striker when the Blues had just splashed £32m on Costa? Having his negativity at Cobham and Stamford Bridge would have hurt the team more than helped it. A player who is n0t willing to fight for his spot should not be in a top four team. Or even any team in that respect. And Mourinho has shown that a player who won’t fight for his spot will be sold, just like Juan Mata. Lukaku’s departure will also allow younger players who are willing to fight for a spot, even for a spot on the bench, to play. Like Bamford or Solanke. Chelsea might regret selling Lukaku one day, but if his attitude stays the same then he will never advance is his career while Chelsea continue to win trophies without him. Lukaku’s departure will in the end help Chelsea’s youth and maybe with Drogba and Costa being the only other strikers, Torres might return with a bit more confidence. But that’s something not worth holding your breath for.
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