Romelu Lukaku determined to succeed at Chelsea amid exit speculations

Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku remains keen on fighting for his place in the team despite speculation over his future.

A recent report from Mirror suggests Romelu Lukaku is determined to wrong his doubters amid criticisms over his performances at Chelsea, coupled with speculation linking him to a move away from Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

Gazzetta Dello Sport put out a report suggesting the forward’s desire to lower his salary in an attempt to return to Inter Milan next summer. But it appears the striker wants to fight for his place in the team during the remainder of the campaign and make a name for himself after a shoddy start on his return to the Premier League.

A big-money arrival from Inter Milan in the summer, Lukaku was brought in to solve Chelsea’s goalscoring woes, especially after Timo Werner’s disastrous debut campaign in the Premier League. The Belgian was coming on the back of a healthy spell at Inter that saw him net 64 goals in under 100 competitive appearances.

However, as we head towards the business end of the 2021/22 campaign, Lukaku has failed to live up to his price tag. In 17 league encounters, the striker has scored only five goals, three of which came in the first three matches. His underwhelming tally has led to wide criticism, with even Thierry Henry questioning Chelsea’s decision to sign him in the first place.

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Thomas Tuchel has been quick to defend Lukaku’s performances, especially after the win over the Crystal Palace. However, the patience is running thin as the striker continues to struggle in front of goal. It has coincided with Kai Havertz’s recent improvement in form that has led experts to believe that Lukaku might be dropped in the upcoming Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.

Lukaku has remained tight-lipped on his situation at Chelsea. But he is determined to put an end to the speculation with consistent performances during the second half of the campaign and eventually win the hearts of the Blues’ fans.

Given the current trend, it could be an unlikely proposition, but it is apparent that the Belgian international has what it takes to become a major goalscoring asset for Chelsea. So it will be interesting to see how Tuchel plans his attacking setup against Liverpool this weekend, with the German tactician eyeing his fourth trophy with the Blues.