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It’s a really good time to be a Chelsea fan. Fresh from winning the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup, the Blues have also made a bright start to the Premier League.
Even better for Thomas Tuchel and his side, the signing of Romelu Lukaku seems to be the final piece in their jigsaw. The 28-year-old striker completed a move to Stamford Bridge last week in a deal worth £98 million.
Chelsea have needed a proper striker for some time now. It became apparent that they needed to get back into the market after Timo Werner proved not to be the archetypal center-forward.
With Lukaku, though, the Blues are guaranteed not just goals, but also a target man and a player who can easily play with his back to goal and allow his other attacking teammates to also flourish.
Romelu Lukaku returns as a man
It’s been exactly 10 years since Lukaku first joined Chelsea from Anderlecht as a boy. At the time, he was just a teenager entering uncharted waters.
Now, though, he returns to the club as a man. Lukaku has been a goal machine in the last decade and very few strikers can match up with his scoring numbers.
The Belgian has 64 goals in 98 matches for his national team and has an overall 251 goals in 508 appearances in his club career. Although many doubted him during his spell at Manchester United, the striker boasts a very good record in the Premier League.
While at Everton, he became the 12th quickest and the fifth-youngest player to score 100 goals in the Premier League.
Chelsea are certainly getting a ruthless striker and a player who will score goals for fun in Tuchel’s ever-improving team.
Lukaku could finally become Drogba’s successor at Chelsea
One of the first to confirm Lukaku’s move to Chelsea was club legend Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast international tweeted on August 8:
“He’s coming home, Romelu Lukaku.”
Four days later, the official announcement was made by Chelsea. It might be a mere coincidence that Drogba confirmed it first, but the 43-year-old has a lot in common with the new Chelsea signing.
When Lukaku first joined the Blues in 2011, he was tagged by many as the ‘new Drogba’. And while he failed to live up to expectations back then, he is now finally ready to succeed his senior colleague.
“I just feel more complete. I’ve tried to master all the facets that a striker needs and I just want to keep improving on the small details all the time and keep improving on my strengths as well,” Lukaku said after returning to England, as quoted by Chelseafc.com.
“I just want to try to help the team win and be available for the manager as well as for my teammates. I want to make sure that they feel comfortable and they can lean on me in whatever situation we’re in.”
Lukaku has always been meant to be Drogba’s successor at Chelsea. Although it didn’t work out the first time, things have finally fallen into place and it’s all coming together now.
