To some Romelu Lukaku might be seen as a consolation prize or just a Plan B.
Chelsea’s desire to buy Erling Haaland is well known and has been a major talking point since
this year’s winter transfer window. But it would be wrong to assume the man they have
actually ended up buying was only added to the wish-list in the last few weeks.
The west London club may have already had Haaland in mind before Thomas Tuchel replaced
Frank Lampard as coach in late January, but it didn’t take the German long to assess
the options at his disposal and feel Chelsea were lacking a top-class, traditional No 9.
By early spring, it is understood Tuchel had
not only given his backing to making an attempt for Borussia Dortmund’s Haaland
but had also earmarked Lukaku as another candidate he’d like to lead the line in 2021-22.
And this is the story of how that deal happened.
Chelsea knew this wasn’t going to be straightforward.
Lukaku had been loving life in Italy since joining Inter from Manchester United..
He felt truly appreciated, unlike during his eight years in England, and an impressive 24
league goals last season helped secure Inter their first Serie A title for 11 years in May.
Inter’s financial troubles were clear for all to see when they lobbied for €275 million
from investors Oaktree Capital Management in late May to ease some of the pressure
on their bank balance. It was plain Inter needed to sell some of their best players.
Lukaku was said to be off-limits, but that didn’t stop Chelsea from asking about him at a meeting
soon after the end of last season and sources have told The Athletic that Chelsea left those
discussions confident they could agree a price for Lukaku if they pursued that deal.
Things then went quiet for over a month, with the played heading off on a post-Euro2020 holiday,
initially to the US. He was soon joined by Mino Raiola’s replacement as his agent,
Federico Pastorello, who enjoys a good bond with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia.
Lukaku reported for pre-season training at Inter on July 26th and he made a point of talking to the
in-house TV channel about the season ahead and how much he was looking forward to it. However,
within a fortnight, he had done a complete U-turn and decided to return to Stamford Bridge.
Why? In short: unfinished business.
How he was treated by Chelsea in his three years there has been a great source of
motivation throughout his career. Lukaku made just 15 appearances and from day one,
he was made to feel he was not good enough, primarily by then-coach Andre Villas-Boas.
There was also a realisation he needed to improve, a recognition this was a significant step up in
class from his days dominating Belgian top-flight defences at age 18 in an Anderlecht shirt.
Given that past, Chelsea’s willingness to pay nearly £100 million and make
him their highest-paid player was the right kind of message to send.
Two bids were rejected, one of which included Marcos Alonso going the other way.
Inter had hoped to get more than £100 million, Chelsea wanted to use players in part-exchange
to reduce the fee. £97.5 million was a compromise which suited both parties.
Once image rights and bonuses are taken into account, Lukaku’s salary will work out from around
£325,000-a-week to £450,000-a-week, depending on just what is taken into account. This is
a significant increase on Chelsea’s previous top-earner N’Golo Kante’s £290,000-a-week deal
and is also more than what the striker’s overall package in Italy came to.
“Romelu is a player that needs to feel loved, to feel wanted,” a source told
The Athletic. “For much of his career, he has felt people looking at him with critical eyes.
When he does well, people will say, ‘He’s doing this or that,
but…’ and adding a negative. Chelsea have made him feel wanted.
A fortnight after turning up for pre-season with Inter, Lukaku passed a medical and travelled to
Nice in the south of France with Pastorello to put the finishing touches on the transfer.
Inter fans have reacted with anger, defacing a mural of Lukaku in the city.
They also left a banner that reads, “Dear Lukaku, we expected more honest and transparent
behaviour from you. But, despite the fact we protected you like a son, like one of us,
you too proved yourself to be just like all the rest, going to your knees for money.
We wish you the best, even if greed doesn’t always pay.”
How does Tuchel feel about it? Behind the scenes, he’s delighted. The Chelsea coach doesn’t regard
Lukaku as second-choice because they couldn’t get Haaland. He appreciates both players for
their ability to score goals primarily, and sees different qualities in each. For example,
Lukaku is considered to be better than Haaland in the air, a quality Chelsea
have been in desperate need of as cross after cross has gone to waste during matches.
Tuchel also sees this as great backing for him from the board. He requested an elite forward
from them and, as far as he is concerned, they have delivered. Crucially, Lukaku was made aware
just how much Tuchel wanted and values him before terms were agreed. This is a manager he admires
and hopes to enjoy as strong a bond with as he did with Conte for the past two seasons.