The 2017 summer transfer window promises to be a truly tumultuous affair. With more money being thrown around than ever before, transfer records look likely to break every other week. This week, reports emerged that Real Madrid rejected a £52.4 million bid for Alvaro Morata from Manchester United, apparently holding out for a fee in the region of £78 million for a 24-year-old striker with just eight international goals to his name.
Morata is not the only big forward being touted for a move this summer with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Romelu Lukaku are being reported to be breaking some kind of a transfer record in the summer. And Lukaku’s comment a few days back sent the transfer papers into overdrive.
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"We are now talking to the club," said Lukaku a few days ago. "I know what is happening, but I will leave the talks to my agent. What I would like most is to play in the Champions League and try to win the Premier League once. Or better – a few times."
Valued at €100 million, Lukaku's comments and recent press reports suggest Chelsea lead the race for the Belgian. With his valuation effectively ruling out foreign interest, the question really is whether Diego Costa will leave this summer to free up a spot in the Blues’ squad for a striker. That, and of course, whether Antonio Conte and co. would be willing to cough up so much for a player they shipped off for £28 million pounds just three years ago.
A move to Stamford Bridge for Lukaku makes perfect sense for all parties involved. Here are 5 reasons why Lukaku should move to West London.
#1 Proven in the Premier League
The Premier League has not always been kind to strikers coming in from other leagues. Stalwarts like Fernando Morientes, Roberto Soldado, Radamel Falcao and Andriy Shevchenko have failed to get into their stride in the English game. Of course, there have been players like Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero who took to the Premier League like a duck to water, but each time a player touches the English shores even after having success elsewhere, it is always a gamble
Proven premier league strikers are valued more than ever. In the past few years, the exorbitant transfer fees associated with the transfers of Wilfried Bony, Christian Benteke and Romelu Lukaku prove the point. Rather than taking a punt on a player like Belotti or Morata, Chelsea would be wiser to splash out on Lukaku. As for the player himself, staying in the Premier League will ensure steady progress in what has been a remarkably consistent career.
#2 An archetypal Chelsea striker
Diego Costa, and Didier Drogba before him embody all that Chelsea fans have come to love in their forwards – the aggression, the leadership, the never-say-die spirit, and of course, the goals. Even with sumptuous talent alongside them, their importance and standing in their respective sides were never questioned.
Strikers like Torres and Sturridge failed to make the cut at Chelsea – nimble, fleet-footed attackers who thrive upon service provided to them rather than grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck themselves.
Lukaku seems the poster boy for the next successful Chelsea number 9. Strong, tall, with a frightening burst of pace and an eye for goal, the Belgian star can seamlessly take the mantle from Costa and help Chelsea defend its Premier League title.
#3 Antonio Conte
At 24, Lukaku is at a stage of his career where development is crucial to take the step being from really good to becoming one of the greats. He needs to develop better tactical acumen and work ethic than at his previous clubs if he is to fulfil his potential. Roberto Martinez at Belgium, for all his abilities, won't be the man to take him to the next level; and it does not look like Ronald Koeman is going to have the chance either.
Step forward, Antonio Conte. Whether in a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2, Conte's strikers are mostly freed up to deploy all their talents in attack with minimal defensive responsibilities. With an imperious record of game-changing tactical substitutions, Conte's tactical nous can't be doubted either.
"We work a lot of tactical positions and we know exactly what we have to do on the pitch, where I have to go and where the defenders have to go," said Eden Hazard in February.
#4 Left with a point to prove
Having joined Chelsea in August 2011, Lukaku spent the majority of his debut season playing for the reserves. 17 goals and 16 goals in subsequent loan spells at West Brom and Everton respectively still didn't convince Chelsea to retain him, and he eventually joined Everton in July 2014 as Jose Mourinho considered bringing in Diego Costa a better choice at the start of his second spell at Stamford Bridge.
But the feeling lingers that Lukaku has unfinished business at Chelsea. After his side won the UEFA Champions League Trophy on 19 May 2012, he refused to hold the trophy as he didn't feel like a winner. Succeeding in Chelsea colours would be an emphatic statement from Lukaku, especially to previous Chelsea managers Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho, who refused to allow him a fair chance.
#5 Competition in the national team
Visibility is an important factor when competing for a place in your national team. Even though many international managers claim to be keeping tabs on the developments in China, USA etc, it is more or less understood that a move to certain leagues damages your national team prospects.
With fellow Belgian internationals Christian Benteke, Divock Origi and Mitchy Batshuayi all featuring in the Premier League, Lukaku has the opportunity to clearly cement his superiority and hold down the first XI spot by staying in the Premier League and playing for one of the ‘big boys’. What's more, with fellow Belgian internationals Courtois, Hazard and Batshuayi at Stamford Bridge already, Lukaku would be very much at home in the Chelsea dressing room.
