It seemed like Romelu Lukaku was perfectly content in Serie A, the division that allowed him to capture the form of his life at Inter Milan. However, the Belgian simply couldn’t resist the call of his former club when they came knocking. Being the spearhead of Chelsea’s attack has always been the 28-year-old’s dream, and he will now look to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Didier Drogba. Lukaku will leave a gaping hole in Simone Inzaghi’s side, and they may find it incredibly hard to win the division title again next term.
Back home. #CFC #Lukaku @SkySport pic.twitter.com/VuNCPIoRp2
— Angelo Mangiante (@angelomangiante) August 7, 2021
Was the Sale Good Business?
On the face of it, it looks as though Inter sold Lukaku for a reasonable price based on his age and ability. It has been reported that the Italian outfit sold the fearsome attacker for a fee of £97.5 million, making him Chelsea’s most expensive signing ever. The Serie A outfit were trying to get more for their player, but they were happy with the fact that the London club were able to stump up the full fee rather than pay via an instalment plan.
The problem for Inter is the fact that this money may not be pumped back into the team. It’s been reported by the Athletic that the champions have financial issues that may not be addressed even by high-profile player sales. Inter have already sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain for just over £50 million, but it’s still said that the club needs to cut its wage bill by around 20 per cent. For this reason, it is hard to see the money from the Lukaku deal being spent on another superstar.
Having scored 47 goals in 72 league games for Inter, Lukaku has been one of the most important components in their recent success. He will be hard to replace and, despite making a profit on the player, the sale won’t be beneficial for the first team.
Lukaku Will Definitely Strengthen Chelsea
From Chelsea’s perspective, it appears as though Lukaku could be the final piece in the puzzle to make Thomas Tuchel’s side genuine title contenders. The Blues were lacking a striker with killer instinct last term, which is why they only just managed to secure a top-four finish. In Tuchel’s second season, though, the London club may be destined for bigger and better things. According to the football odds, they can be backed at 7/25 to trounce Crystal Palace in their season opener and could then go on to storm the league with their new firepower.
The great thing about this signing for Chelsea is that Lukaku knows the club and the league well, so should be able to hit the ground running. A solid spearhead at the tip of the attack was what was missing for Tuchel last time out, and the Belgian will be capable of filling that hole.
Without Lukaku’s goals, Inter will find it incredibly difficult to challenge for another title this term. The fact that Antonio Conte has left will also be a major dent in the San Siro club’s hopes. The Belgian striker’s sale may help to balance the books, but it’s unlikely that all the money will be used to sign new players for Inzaghi’s side.
