🇧🇪 Romelu Lukaku

[Henrique 9,133]

For me selling Lukaku at his age, because he is not the ideal striker for Mourinho, seems an odd idea for me:

- Mourinho doesn't have an ideal kind of player, he uses the players than can win matches and trophies, thats why in the beginning of the season he said Luiz would not be playing as an DM, but he realized he was a better option than Lampard and Mikel. As soon as Lukaku score some goals, he will become a Mourinho kind of player.

-Lukaku still is 21, and its not a crazy idea to imagine him as a Chelsea player in 2024. We don't even know if Mourinho will be the manager in 2016.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I said started.

I know exactly what you said. Make all the excuses for him that you want but the guy was getting chances.

You are so clueless and narrominded that it just forces me to insult you. Im trying to resist though..really hard.

But I guess some people just cant think logically. Its not your own fault though.

And you're a little keyboard warrior who can't debate without resorting to insults, usually calling people retarded.

[didierforever 7,349]

I know exactly what you said. Make all the excuses for him that you want but the guy was getting chances.

And you're a little keyboard warrior who can't debate without resorting to insults, usually calling people retarded.

lukaku may have been getting minutes and maybe when we bought etoo he thought that even those minutes would go out of the window. he was already losing the striker spot in chelsea and just dint want to lose the striker spot for belgium too to benteke.

he is a 20 year old. maybe he panicked. maybe he made a mistake. but so what? one mistake does not mean me sell him specially when he can be a major asset to us. simply dont see why we should be selling the best U-21 striker in the world right now.

[bushman 2,043]

Should any of us be surprised to see Lukaku being shipped out? I don´t think so. It´s Chelsea´s way. Buy young, talented players, loaned them out & sell them for profit.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Please lets make sure we DO NOT do a Matic V.2.....

Why not? That worked out perfectly for us. He would never have developed like he did had he stayed here and the fact that he was here as a youngster helped us get him back quickly and for a low price and helped him settle in almost immediately after his return.

If anything this would be a Sturidge V2. Now THAT was pure idiocy.

[johnnythefirst 1,076]

I know exactly what you said. Make all the excuses for him that you want but the guy was getting chances.

Yeahyeahyeah whatever. If Torres, Ba and even Schurrle get starting spots before you and Eto'o is coming, you pretty much know the manager doesn't rate you.

I'm starting to doubt he'll ever come back, especially after a good World Cup. The only European club that doesn't seem to appreciate him at this time seems to be Chelsea. He's such a big fan. If he'd just been given a decent run of games, I don't think he'd ever want to leave. He should have started the first three matches, as a reward for last season and his productive pre-season. There would have never been a loan, nor a problem.

Lukaku is a very proud guy. I'm curious about what will happen, but I wouldn't put any money on the outcome right now.

[The only place to be 11,313]

lukaku may have been getting minutes and maybe when we bought etoo he thought that even those minutes would go out of the window. he was already losing the striker spot in chelsea and just dint want to lose the striker spot for belgium too to benteke.

he is a 20 year old. maybe he panicked. maybe he made a mistake. but so what? one mistake does not mean me sell him specially when he can be a major asset to us. simply dont see why we should be selling the best U-21 striker in the world right now.

I don't think we should sell him necessarily. I think a year or two on loan might be the best if we get in Costa and Mandzukic and then assess him from there.

Having said that there's also a case for selling him for profit and using that to strengthen the squad in the short term.

[Styles 9,790]

Why not? That worked out perfectly for us. He would never have developed like he did had he stayed here and the fact that he was here as a youngster helped us get him back quickly and for a low price and helped him settle in almost immediately after his return.

If anything this would be a Sturidge V2. Now THAT was pure idiocy.

I really wouldn't call letting go of a young player without giving him a chance and then buying him back for 21m as 'working out perfectly'.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Yeahyeahyeah whatever. If Torres, Ba and even Schurrle get starting spots before you and Eto'o is coming, you pretty much know the manager doesn't rate you.

How many starts did Azpi get in those four matches?

How about minutes? Less than a minute at United. His first start was a month later in the COC but he took that chance, worked his bollocks off and became a first-choice member of this squad. That's the type of player Jose likes.

Lukaku is a very proud guy. I'm curious about what will happen, but I wouldn't put any money on the outcome right now.

I also think he's poorly advised. Last season he had Torres, Ba and Eto'o as competition. The shirt was there to be won.

Next season he could quite possibly have Costa and Mandzukic as competition. If he wants to leave then we sell him for a profit or loan him. If he wants to stay and fight then good for him.

Ultimately this club wins and that's the most important thing. As I've said before, he needs Chelsea more than Chelsea needs Romelu Lukaku.

[didierforever 7,349]

I don't think we should sell him necessarily. I think a year or two on loan might be the best if we get in Costa and Mandzukic and then assess him from there.

Having said that there's also a case for selling him for profit and using that to strengthen the squad in the short term.

loaning him IS the best possible option. specially with a success at a mid-table team like wba, then a europa team like everton and now maybe,,, ATM/bvb.

selling lukaku gives us no profit. just like selling sturridge dint give us any "profit". the loss in the number of goals, plus buying another striker in a couple of years after mandzukic gets 30 years old simply negates any 2mil profit we would get out of lukaku by selling him for 20mi.

[johnnythefirst 1,076]

Explain to me why he desperately needs Chelsea at this moment?

It's not that he'd have to go play in the second division if they burn his contract tomorrow. ;-)

[The only place to be 11,313]

Explain to me why he desperately needs Chelsea at this moment?

Because we're the club he's always wanted to play for, and we're one of the biggest clubs in the world. If he wants to go and play for a team like Everton or Spurs then he can do that and I would wish him happiness. If he wants to go abroad then the same applies.

But this club will survive and prosper with or without him. Honestly speaking, if we do get in Costa and Mandzukic then it really doesn't matter what he asks to do. His value right now is quite high but it could quite easily decrease if he doesn't keep progressing as a footballer. Conversely it could increase if he adds more to his game. The potential that it could increase is why we should probably loan him for at least one season.

He's still young, he has time and that's what his advisors should have told him at the start of September.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I really wouldn't call letting go of a young player without giving him a chance and then buying him back for 21m as 'working out perfectly'.

Why? You think he would have gotten the playing time he got at Benfica had he stayed here? He would never have developed like he did. It is just impossible for a team always looking for success and trophies like Chelsea in a competitive league like the EPL to trust an unproven rising player. That's the sad reality.

[Styles 9,790]

Why? You think he would have gotten the playing time he got at Benfica had he stayed here? He would never have developed like he did. It is just impossible for a team always looking for success and trophies like Chelsea in a competitive league like the EPL to trust an unproven rising player. That's the sad reality.

Because as valid points as those points are referring to it as 'working out perfectly' is disingenuous in my honest opinion. I don't mind that we bought him back and 20m+ is the going-rate for good midfielders but that term doesn't sit well with me because he was ours and we never game him the chance.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Because as valid points as those points are referring to it as 'working out perfectly' is disingenuous in my honest opinion. I don't mind that we bought him back and 20m+ is the going-rate for good midfielders but that term doesn't sit well with me because he was ours and we never game him the chance.

Yeah but it's shorter than "it worked out in one of the best ways realistically possible for our current position and status in the modern game"

[Styles 9,790]

Yeah but it's shorter than "it worked out in one of the best ways realistically possible for our current position and status in the modern game"

Ignore me, I'm pedantic like that

[The Rising Sun 711]

Why not? That worked out perfectly for us. He would never have developed like he did had he stayed here and the fact that he was here as a youngster helped us get him back quickly and for a low price and helped him settle in almost immediately after his return.

If anything this would be a Sturidge V2. Now THAT was pure idiocy.

I get what you are saying about the Sturridge v 2 analogy, but the difference being that we got Lukaku for some 18(15?) million pounds a few years back, and he has had the chance to develop elsewhere last 2 years.

At the moment, he is more than qualified to play in a 4-4-2, or as a second striker option behind costa or cavani.

Thats the reason i say we should keep him.

Even if we were to sell him, we would surely have to buy him back for a huge sum, much closer to a 30 million amount or so in 2 years time....maybe more if he becomes crazy good?

Matic was a chelsea youth guy so he was for free when we let him go, and bought him back for 21 million or so.

Anyways, i think he is ready to play as a second striker, whether its 4-4-2 regular starting position, or to be chosen among two strikers based on the opponent.

I think all our 3 strikers scored a combined 17 goals this season, and as for Lukaku, he will cross that in the PL alone, even as a second striker.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Sometimes I really don't get the logic of some posters. Lukaku has finished his second season in the PL, he's experienced enough, he's young, he knows how to score goals, he bleeds blue, and he's probably the biggest striker prospect atm. But for some reason people want him loaned out again and us to buy someone like Mandzukic to play as our 2nd striker (The main reason he'll leave Munich is him being degraded to that 2nd striker's spot but fuck logic...).

Those very same people who want Lukaku to go out on loan also want us to promote youth players though. So how's that? Instead of playing an already experienced striker in Lukaku they want players like Baker and RLC to make the team next season. It makes no sense.

The thing is though it's always been this way. I don't exactly know why (Maybe because youth players are even younger?...) but after some time in which a young player hasn't made it at Chelsea yet it's suddenly his fault for not breaking into the team. This stuff has been written about Lukaku already, go through this thread.

McEachran, Kakuta etc - all of them were praised when they played their first games for Chelsea, the hype began, people had high hopes and expected them to become stars. Then they didn't become all of a sudden first team regulars and people started questioning their attitude and calling them "mentally weak" etc. But rarely do the board and the manager get the full blame. It's always "Well, yeah, the board picked a wrong loan move/the manager XY ruined him but if player YZ really wanted to make it he'd have given his all!" and that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Calling someone mentally weak is an excuse and only to some really small degree the truth. You either put a player into a situation to succeed or you don't. Period.

Blaming Lukaku for choosing to go on loan last season and not wanting to fight for his place against 3 strikers (especially in a WC) is just ridiculous. Not giving Lukaku a chance to prove himself next season and buying someone like Mandzukic would be ridiculous as well.

If there's one player out on loan and whom we need it's Lukaku who should be in our squad when the summer transfer window closes.

Let me preface this by saying I want Lukaku at the club next term.

For me the striker position is more about situational play and form than it is about 1st choice, 2nd choice. You fight for your position to get the starters jersey and the competition can also be good for your mental development. If we sign Costa and Mandzukic its less about 1st choice, 2nd choice and more about who fits the type of game we need to play that particular week. For the sake of argument I think the reason some here are contesting giving Lukaku a chance next year mainly because they don't feel he's ready to be the go to guy on a top 5 club in the world. He's being groomed to be a loan striker at a very high level, he's also very, very young so the need to rush him into the side to see what he can do is not so great(IF we decide to buy, no need to pressure him to be the guy unless we don't buy). Nobody wants to stunt his development by having him here to sit on the bench for weeks at a time, and that's the thing many don't understand, he is still developing not the finished article yet.

As far as McEachran and Kakuta are concerned they showed promise but weren't ready to challenge at the high level of expectation Chelsea have. They went on loan and further regressed. You really think that after the ordeal with Gael that Chelsea didn't want to get him into the 23 man roster? He went to Bolton and shit the bed, back to France and shit the bed now he's at Vitesse and you guessed it... shitting the bed. Chelsea is about winning trophies which is different to any other team in the Prem really. The fans want to win, the owner wants to win and the Manager wants to win. Just because someone shows great potential as a youngster doesn't necessarily mean he will grow to be a world beater on a top 5 club in the world, perhaps our expectations are too high? Football isn't a conveyor belt where you pump out quality if you treat it in the right way, there are so many different factors that come into play.

In Lukaku's case I don't think he's matured enough to challenge for the regular start for this Chelsea team, he still has things he needs to work on before that can occur. I want him back because I feel his passion and desire to want to be the best will help further his progression. Working with Jose and understudying possibly Costa and Mandzukic (who is consider in form strikers) will push him to get to the next level in his evolution. He wasn't challenged at West Brom and neither was he challenged mentally at Everton, he knew he was the best there and basically failed to develop mentally in both instances. Sure he scored goals and outscored Chelsea's frontline players(not really that hard) but his on-field mentality hasn't been tested to the fullest. We want to win Champions league and the Prem, Lukaku has been just enjoying his football with no pressure added to him.

I would have him back to fight for a spot, give him the odd Prem start, a few cup games and maybe a few cameos in the CL. If he shows the desire and most importantly the skill to excel in these situations, with two VERY accomplished strikers breathing down his neck then we know we have a striker capable of playing for a top 5 squad.

[Henrique 9,133]

only place to be used "to be" a good poster, but since Mourinho returned he waste his time with disjointed posts defending every controversial (clumsy) decision Mourinho makes.

Lets put the facts right:

*Second game of the season, against Aston Villa, Stamford Bridge. Torres was injured, but Ba was the one who started. I think everyone here were surprised to see Ba starting and not Lukaku.

*Third game of the season, away game against United, Schurle starts as CF, Torres was used in the second half, and Lukaku was sitting on the bench the whole match, the same Lukaku that scored a hat-trick against the same United months earlier.

After that, he decided to leave, and for me thats comprehensible, because it was clear for everyone that Lukaku wasn't Mourinho's first or even second choice (choosing Ba to start Villa game was an insult), and with Mourinho saying the team would buy another CF, his chances here were getting really small.

Right now its easy for Mourinho to say it was Lukaku who decided to leave, but every ambitious player in the world in his situation would do the same.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Because we're the club he's always wanted to play for, and we're one of the biggest clubs in the world. If he wants to go and play for a team like Everton or Spurs then he can do that and I would wish him happiness. If he wants to go abroad then the same applies.

But this club will survive and prosper with or without him. Honestly speaking, if we do get in Costa and Mandzukic then it really doesn't matter what he asks to do. His value right now is quite high but it could quite easily decrease if he doesn't keep progressing as a footballer. Conversely it could increase if he adds more to his game. The potential that it could increase is why we should probably loan him for at least one season.

He's still young, he has time and that's what his advisors should have told him at the start of September.

With the special circumstance being its a world cup year and you don't have that opportunity very often.