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Former Chelsea player Gus Poyet has refused to label Romelu Lukaku as the club's worst signing of all time.
Answering a few exclusive questions on Lord Ping, Poyet rubbished claims that Lukaku is the biggest flop signing in the history of the club. When told former Blues left-back Glen Johnson had rated Lukaku as their worst signing, he responded:
"I respect his opinion, but I did think Lukaku was really good in his first six or seven games at Chelsea. Something happened on the inside, including the interview with the Italian news which showed its consequences, there was no way back."
Poyet added:
"I can name a few worse than Lukaku, but I will not, out of respect."
Romelu Lukaku was signed for a club-record fee of £97.8m from Inter Milan last summer. He scored 15 goals in 44 games for the Blues during the 2021-22 season, lifting the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
However, he received plenty of criticism for his inconsistency and inability to fit into Thomas Tuchel's style of play. The Belgian forward was loaned back to Inter earlier this summer.
Romelu Lukaku's explosive Sky Sports interview triggered a huge backlash at Chelsea
Poyet was right in his claim by saying that Romelu Lukaku began brightly at the club. He led the line with vigor and was considered to be the final piece in the Chelsea jigsaw.
However, an ill-timed and unauthorized interview with Sky Italia landed him in a world of trouble at the club. Lukaku expressed his dissatisfaction with Tuchel's system with the club during the conversation. He also admitted that he preferred moves to Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid over Chelsea.
The striker also revealed that he wished to have stayed back at Inter rather than come to London and would be keen to return to Milan one day.
Naturally, none of it was taken well at the club, which impacted his relationship with his employers. The hits kept coming as Lukaku found first-team chances harder to come by. It was capped off by a complete loss in form for the Belgian.
Back on loan at Inter, Lukaku will hope to return to consistently finding the back of the net.
