After weeks of rumors linking Romelu Lukaku to make a return to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have gone a different direction. Michy Batshuayi has officially moved to Chelsea for a reported fee of £33 million from French club Marseille.
The young Belgian is coming in with a lot of pressure. Following similar footsteps of Didier Drogba (going from Marseille to Chelsea), fans are already making comparisons between the two. What they seemed to have forgotten, though, is Drogba and fellow Belgian striker Lukaku were made such comparisons. We all know how that situation turned out.
Michy Batshuayi is the Right Man for Chelsea
It was obvious when Chelsea appointed Antonio Conte that a striker would be brought in. Conte plays a formation that requires two strikers leading the attack. The question (at least a couple months ago) was whom he’d bring in. Cue the rumors on potential targets.
Although at times it did look like Lukaku was set to make a dramatic return to Chelsea, nothing ever became official. Then there were reports from French newspaper L’Equipe on Batshuayi having talks with Chelsea. This move appears to be the correct one.
For starters, Batshuayi would cost less
Money isn’t an issue for Chelsea. But the price a player comes in puts a lot of pressure on them. A prime example is Fernando Torres. Coming in with a record fee of £50 million, the expectations were sky high for the Spaniard. And he never met those expectations. Scoring 20 goals in 110 appearances for Chelsea lead to him being labeled one of the biggest flops in Premier League history.
Lukaku, who still remains at Everton, was rumored to have a price tag of £65 million. Is he really worth that much? He scored 18 goals in 37 appearances in the Premier League. He has been criticized for consistency issues while at Everton. Some games he is the unstoppable force he was dubbed to be. Other games he disappears.
Batshuayi on the other hand had 17 goals in 36 league appearances for a struggling Marseille side, who only had 48 total goals (Everton had 59).
Attitude issues aren’t worth it
Let’s backtrack two years. When Lukaku left Chelsea for Everton, many were shocked. Not to take away from the club status of Everton, but at the time (and currently) Chelsea were/are the bigger side, which left many fans surprised he’d make this move. However, the move wasn’t about club status. Lukaku grew weary of his place at the club a year earlier in 2013 when Chelsea brought in Samuel Eto’o. This meant Chelsea had four strikers: Lukaku, Eto’o, Fernando Torres, and Demba Ba. Soon after the Belgian was sent to Everton for a season long loan. But the next Summer he made a permanent move to Everton. Lukaku was not up to fight for the lone striker position. Why would Chelsea want someone who did not have the drive to earn his spot?
Batshuayi is coming in with motivation to succeed and excitement to bring Chelsea back to the top. In an interview with Chelsea TV, he told them his first priority was to fire Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League table. He also went on to say he is pleased to work with incoming manager Antonio Conte. This is a player that clearly is putting the club first and is up for the task of being Chelsea’s savior.
After the horrendous nightmare that was Chelsea’s 2015-2016 Premier League season, a bad attitude in the locker room is the last thing they need. The dressing room was left in pieces after Jose Mourinho was sacked, but they seem to be coming back together. With willing leadership from a 22-year-old, there’s no telling how high Chelsea can return.
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