Chelsea have just got their own Cristiano Ronaldo who doesn’t want to play for Mauricio Pochettino and here is why
Chelsea have just got their own Cristiano Ronaldo who doesn’t want to play for Mauricio Pochettino and here is why.
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has the same problem as Manchester United had with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lukaku has made it abundantly clear he sees his future with Inter after spending last season on loan with the Nerazzurri. He returned to Italy just 10 months after his £97.5million transfer in August 2021, having fallen out with former coach Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.
And there is no desire from the 30-year-old to try and resurrect his career in west London under Pochettino as he is not planning to return to the club, according to the Telegraph. Likewise, the 51-year-old boss may well be planning for life without the former Manchester United striker frontman as he reportedly targets Paulo Dybala and Dusan Vlahovic.
The pair could join Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku in adding attacking experience to the squad, with the profile of player Pochettino is targeting somewhat contrasting to Lukaku style as a target man. Indeed, Blues icon Pat Nevin thinks Lukaku is surplus to requirements at Chelsea after their recent transfer business.
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Lukaku has made it abundantly clear he sees his future with Inter after spending last season on loan with the Nerazzurri. He returned to Italy just 10 months after his £97.5million transfer in August 2021, having fallen out with former coach Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.
And there is no desire from the 30-year-old to try and resurrect his career in west London under Pochettino as he is not planning to return to the club, according to the Telegraph. Likewise, the 51-year-old boss may well be planning for life without the former Manchester United striker frontman as he reportedly targets Paulo Dybala and Dusan Vlahovic.
The pair could join Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku in adding attacking experience to the squad, with the profile of player Pochettino is targeting somewhat contrasting to Lukaku style as a target man. Indeed, Blues icon Pat Nevin thinks Lukaku is surplus to requirements at Chelsea after their recent transfer business.
UEFA Champions League final
Romelu Lukaku: The Belgian wants to stay at Inter Milan. (Image: Getty)
“I would be really shocked if Lukaku stayed at Chelsea. If you look at all of the strikers Chelsea have now, they have better options,” Nevin said, speaking to OBLG.com.
“[Christopher] Nkunku and [Nicolas] Jackson are young players who can play up front. They also have [Armando] Broja to come back and he is also a good player. That’s three players who are all good players.”
Nevin elaborated on the specific reason why Lukaku would not be an ideal fit for Pochettino’s side next season, claiming the Belgian would have an adverse effect on the team as – like Ronaldo – he is not willing to press high.
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Lukaku has made it abundantly clear he sees his future with Inter after spending last season on loan with the Nerazzurri. He returned to Italy just 10 months after his £97.5million transfer in August 2021, having fallen out with former coach Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.
And there is no desire from the 30-year-old to try and resurrect his career in west London under Pochettino as he is not planning to return to the club, according to the Telegraph. Likewise, the 51-year-old boss may well be planning for life without the former Manchester United striker frontman as he reportedly targets Paulo Dybala and Dusan Vlahovic.
The pair could join Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku in adding attacking experience to the squad, with the profile of player Pochettino is targeting somewhat contrasting to Lukaku style as a target man. Indeed, Blues icon Pat Nevin thinks Lukaku is surplus to requirements at Chelsea after their recent transfer business.
UEFA Champions League final
Romelu Lukaku: The Belgian wants to stay at Inter Milan. (Image: Getty)
“I would be really shocked if Lukaku stayed at Chelsea. If you look at all of the strikers Chelsea have now, they have better options,” Nevin said, speaking to OBLG.com.
“[Christopher] Nkunku and [Nicolas] Jackson are young players who can play up front. They also have [Armando] Broja to come back and he is also a good player. That’s three players who are all good players.”
Nevin elaborated on the specific reason why Lukaku would not be an ideal fit for Pochettino’s side next season, claiming the Belgian would have an adverse effect on the team as – like Ronaldo – he is not willing to press high.
“If you look at Lukaku’s last three seasons in English football, he did not score enough goals at all. With the way the game is played now, there needs to be a player pressing from the front. I just don’t think Lukaku fits that style of play anymore.
“The same thing happened with Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd. He is a great player, but should never have gone back to Man Utd, because he could not press from the front. I think the same goes for Lukaku at Chelsea. All of the teams in the Premier League play a high-intensity style of football. Lukaku is not your man for that.”
Hard work and pressing are set to become two familiar buzzwords around the Chelsea training ground as Pochettino puts his side to work, warning there are no excuses for slacking on the pitch under his management.
But those are not typically traits which are associated with Lukaku – and there is an argument his reluctance to work tirelessly off the ball would be counterintuitive to the work Pochettino is doing.
For Chelsea, it is an easy decision to part ways with the striker, but negotiations with Inter are from it. They are determined not to cave to Inter’s £30m valuation given the disruption caused by Lukaku.
The fact remains, though, that they cannot be left with an unsold Lukaku beyond the transfer window, and Inter know it. In which case, the only scenario left to explore is a compromise from both sides to get the deal over the line.
As Lukaku edges towards the Chelsea exit for the second time – he first left the club in 2014 for Everton – there will be regrets over his unfulfilled prophecy of brigning success back to the club. Instead, he torched the bridges with the fanbase, just like Ronaldo did at United back in November.
And rather like the Portuguese, he will go down as a high-profile failure after a misguided decision to go back to their old flame.
