Is Romelu Lukaku The Missing Link?
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 11:25 AM Two Left Feet - Out Now! for the thinking football fan
Didier Drogba left, after firing Chelsea to a FA Cup and Champions League double, Fernando Torres couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo, and around 73 strikers were linked with a move to the Bridge.
Skip forward a few months, and Fernando Torres produced a cameo role to fire Spain to European glory, and everyone has suddenly remembered the £18m Belgian we acquired last season.
Romelu Lukaku scored twice, as Chelsea got off to a great start in pre-season, beating the Seattle Sounders 4-2, with new boys Eden Hazard and Marko Marin getting the other goals.
Talk of Hulk, Cavani, Rondon, amongst others are being thrown around the rumour mill, all in deals of at least £25m.
Lukaku only started one league game last season, and has already been offered out on loan to both Fulham, and Werder Bremen, but personally, I believe he is ready to make the step into the first-team soon, at least have more of a role than last campaign.
With Chelsea likely to run a formation next season which involves just the one out-and-out striker, Fernando Torres will obviously be favourite for that role, but with Lukaku, as well as Sturridge behind him, is there any need to splash out a ridiculous sum on another striker?
After being reasonably frustrated with his lack of opportunities, he said recently “I have to really fight for my spot in the starting XI. If you want to help the team you have to do your job and for me that is to score goals”
The 19 year old seems ready for the step-up, and should be carry on scoring like he did in the first friendly, Di Matteo will have to notice him soon enough.
There is a very bright future ahead at Stamford Bridge, and as well as Lukaku, there is the 18 year old Brazilian sensation Lucas Piazon, who scored the only goal in a 1-1 draw with PSG, showing that Chelsea have got their scoring boots well and truly on for years to come.
One of Chelsea old boys Tony Cascarino managed 8 goals in 40 appearances, maybe that strike rate is not what chelsea need but he has proved he has the clinical finish at poker games winning the UK Poker Tour Grand Final. Cascarino played for Ireland and managed to score19 goals in 88 international appearances from 1985-1999. He also had successful years at Aston Villa, Celtic, Chelsea and Olympique de Marseille.
By Brad Smith @BrummieBrad
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Reader Comments (2)
Lukaku is no where near ready to play regularly for Chelsea and you are looking at him through rose coloured specs I'm afraid. Anyone who saw the lad come on for Belgium as a second half sub against England just prior to the Euro's would have noted how he more resembled a cart horse to a thoroughbred. More Emile Heskey on a bad day than a Drogba! Yes, after throwing his toys out of the pram and not wanting to touch the CL cup or join in the clubs festivities of winning it he managed to score a couple of goals against a pretty average Seattle a week ago. Big deal! Since then he was totally in Alex's pocket for the PSG game in New York and looked way out of his depth (again). He was dragged off by RDM after 62 minutes and replaced with a midfield player (Lucas Piazon) who then went on to score Chelsea's equaliser. As FA Cup holders, CL holders and hoping to realistically challenge for the Premiership title once again, players like Lukaku at this stage of his development are simply not good enough to make the Chelsea first 11. We should be talking about players like Falcao, Cavani or Hulk coming in to help the cause, not young wannabe's who talk a good game but can't produce. Who are so immature they sulk when not playing even though they haven't proven bugger all yet at the top level! Let the lad go on loan for a season to another Premiership club AND DO IT to prove it before coming out with silly articles like this!
I agree slightly with what you say, however, Lukaku never refused to join in celebrations, but said he didnt feel a part of them, which is fair enough I believe, as he didnt get much game-time, and after an 18m move, you'd expect a bit more.
If you read my article, you will have to admit I never said Lukaku should be first choice, far from it. Though with the likelyhood of just ONE actual striker in the starting XI, likely to be Torres, and with Sturridge and Lukaku in reserve, I was pointing out the fact there is no point in spending 20-30m on a striker, especially with a 50m one already here, as well as the fact that FPP will come into play next season, and we have to watch our spending.
Think it is very harsh to say my article is 'silly', I agree, the title could've been worded better, he isnt the ''missing link'' as such, more of the fact I think he is a very capable bench player, and you look at Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham I would say, that a Torres > Sturridge > Lukaku is better than the options at those clubs.
Let the lad go on loan, what if he has a great season, then two seasons without a game for Chelsea, with an 18m fee, he might turn to look elsewhere.
There has to be a limit of just buying players and not letting our youth play. Look at McEachran, Bertrand.