“He’s no Lionel Messi” – Paolo Di Canio blasts ‘big soppy cat’ Lukaku after Chelsea row 

Paolo Di Canio has branded Romelu Lukaku 'weak and arrogant' after Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku recently admitted he was unhappy at the club during an interview. The Belgian striker told Sky Italia that he was unhappy with how things had panned out at Chelsea and wanted to return to Inter Milan.

The former West Ham player called Lukaku 'a big soppy cat' and went on to say that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel would be better off without such a player in the squad. Di Canio called Lukaku’s interview disastrous and said it shows how fragile Lukaku’s character is. He said:

“This interview shows the weakness of an athlete who after six months gives up, perhaps because he arrived there with the arrogance of someone who doesn’t realize what his real level is. He won the Scudetto in Italy as a co-protagonist with his other teammates but he’s no Lionel Messi. Inter would’ve won even without him."

He added:

“If you arrive at Chelsea and think you’re going to be number one, you are in for a rude awakening. Chelsea played much better without Lukaku. He is a fragile player, so he seems to have character. But when he talks like that, the truth is he is very fragile.”

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel drops Lukaku against Liverpool

Romelu Lukaku in action for Chelsea.

Romelu Lukaku was left out of Chelsea’s thrilling 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Sunday. Manager Thomas Tuchel explained that there was too much noise around the player to include him in the matchday squad. The manager said he did not want to affect any preparations for the game and thought it would be for the best to leave Lukaku out of the squad.

Speaking about the player's situation with the club, Di Canio opined that Chelsea did not need to sign Romelu Lukaku and that they would be very irritated at how the transfer has turned out. He said:

“As I always said, he’s a big soppy cat more than a panther, he has never been hungry or determined in the big situations. I think Chelsea are tearing their hair out with regret over this transfer, especially as they didn’t even really need this player.”