Romelu Lukaku has left fans in limbo over his future at Chelsea after the expiration of his loan spell with AS Roma.
Lukaku was praised for his swashbuckling “trivela pass”, to set free Youri Tielemans in the box for Belgium’s second goal against England in their friendly on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
Romelu Lukaku won the ball off Lewis Dunk in defense for England, after the defender committed an error, which allowed the Belgian to get into position before setting up Tielemans, who nodded the ball beyond the reach of Jordan Pickford.
Youri Tielemans netted both goals for the Red Devils on the night, with Ivan Toney scoring from the spot, before Jude Bellingham found the back of the net in the 5th minute of stoppage time.
It was an enthralling game of football between both teams, with the attacking players of both teams stepping up to the party.
Romelu Lukaku on his future at Chelsea
After the game, Lukaku was asked if he was relishing the opportunity of possibly Impressing at Chelsea when his loan spell with AS Roma ends.
Romelu Lukaku is expected to be back at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2024, but it is unknown if current manager Mauricio Pochettino has him in his plans.
The 30-year-old has been impressive in Rome, scoring 18 goals and providing 4 assists in 37 matches across all competitions.
Sharing his thoughts on his desire to impress at Stamford Bridge, Lukaku said: “You’ll have to ask Chelsea!”
Romelu Lukaku is in his second stint at Chelsea, having initially joined the club from RSC Anderlecht on August 8, 2011, for a fee of €15 million.
The Belgium international left the London club to join Everton on July 30, 2014, for a fee of €35.36 million.
The former West Brom striker rejoined Chelsea from Inter Milan on August 12, 2021, for a fee of €113 million.
In his two stints with the Blues, he has failed to live up to the lofty expectations heaped on him.
The marriage looked like it was set to blossom in his second stint, however, in December 2021, Romelu Lukaku complained about his reduced playing time under Thomas Tuchel which resulted in him being ostracized from the first team.
How did Romelu Lukaku get into the bad books of Chelsea supporters?
He bemoaned over what he was passing through at the club during an interview with Sky Sports Italy, saying:
“Physically I’m doing great. I’m just not very happy with the situation, but that’s normal.
“I think the boss has decided to play a different formation but I have to stick at it and get on with it professionally.”
The ex-Manchester United man also stressed his love and connection with Inter Milan and that apparently got him on the nerves of Chelsea supporters.
He said: “I don’t think any of it should have happened the way it did. The way I left Inter and the way I communicated with the Inter fans.
“I’m annoyed about that because it’s not the right time now but it wasn’t the right time when I left either.”
Speaking on his admiration for the club, Lukaku stated: “I always said that I love Inter and I’ll play for them again. I really hope so. I fell in love with Italy.”
The 30-year-old added: “I hope from the bottom of my heart to go back to Inter and not at the end of my career but when I’m still at a good enough level to win more trophies.”
These comments put him in the bad books of Chelsea supporters and that has been the reason for his frosty relationship with the club.
It will be interesting to see if both parties can reach a middle ground in the relationship, which could potentially see Lukaku get a starting shirt at Chelsea.
The Premier League side is still bedeviled with attacking problems, despite the addition of players like Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson in the summer of 2023.
