The Chelsea squad needs rebuilding, there is no doubt about that. While defence and midfield are areas that needs to have some fresh legs in it, the striker position is also an area that desperately needs to get some fresh and consistent players in it. Even though Chelsea have a world class striker by the name of Diego Costa in their ranks, his injuries, on-field and off-field antics are things that has made him miss quite a few of Chelsea’s important matches. His constant struggle with injuries and his behaviour have angered most of the Blues faithful and many have also asked for another World class striker to replace the Spain International. Also, apart from Costa, there doesn’t seem to be any established strikers in the Chelsea team. They did get Falcao and Pato on loan this season, but both of them hardly got game time. All this has led the Chelsea scouts to look for striking options that can make the Chelsea squad look formidable. And one name that has emerged into the limelight is Romelu Lukaku.
A name that has been doing the rounds quite a few times in this season and all for the right seasons though. Romelu has been in excellent form this season. And so he was for the past three seasons as well. Lukaku signed for Chelsea in August 2011 from Belgian side Anderlecht as a talented 19 year old who dreamt of making it big with the London side. But all he faced was disappointment. He was featured very less in his first season and spent the majority of his time with the reserves. He expressed his anger at the end of the season and made it clear that he wants more game time. Accordingly the Belgian was loaned to West Bromwich Albion in the 2012-13 season and he had a stellar of a season there. He made 35 appearances and scored 17 goals. His performances made him earn applauses from many pundits.
In the 2013-14 season, he was loaned to Everton with whom he again had a stellar season. He made 31 appearances and scored 15 goals. He had gained a good control over the English game even though he was just 21 years of age. However, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho still somehow didn’t want to acknowledge his talent and finally sold him at the start of the 2014-15 season to Everton. Was it worth it? You bet it was. Lukaku has been Everton’s best player ever since. He has been among goals, he has been a leader at times and sometimes the only Everton player who seems to be carrying the club. The Belgian has scored 18 goals this season and has registered 6 assists and has been one of EPL’s finest players this season.
So if he is signed, what does the 23 year old bring to Chelsea? It’s simple. He brings dominance. The pros of having Lukaku at Chelsea is that you’re getting a striker who is already established in the EPL. While many have asked to see the likes of Griezmann at Chelsea, it should not be forgotten that not many have had it easy to adjust to the English game after playing in Spain. With Lukaku you don’t get that problem. He also is one striker who has been among the goals for the past 3 seasons and has looked to score more goals with more games under his belt. He is a striker who is tall, strong, scores goals, creates goals, is good on the ball and last but the least is less prone to injury. He is a striker who would fit in perfectly with the Chelsea squad. A major benefit of having him at Chelsea will be that he will gel in well with the likes Hazard, Willain and Oscar. All of them are young, fast and have more or less the same approach to football.
However one shouldn’t forget the downside of joining Chelsea. Even though Everton is a big club, it doesn’t put as much pressure on Lukaku as Chelsea would do. All teams want their strikers to score goals but the expectation at Chelsea will be a whole new level. It is the pressure of such expectations that have ruined the career of players like Demba Ba. The player was a class act at Newcastle but the moment he joined Chelsea, his career took a downside. Same can be assumed of Loic Remy as well. The only con of having Lukaku at Chelsea maybe that he might become one of those players who might struggle in a big club. One recent example would be Christian Benteke. I might be completely wrong and Lukaku might just become one of the best strikers in the world if he joins Chelsea, but you just cannot undermine the fact that strikers who were established in the EPL have become a flop since joining Chelsea. Another recent example would be Fernando Torres. The man who was an absolute powerhouse at Liverpool couldn’t even get close to his shadow at Chelsea.