Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has questioned his former club’s pursuit of Romelu Kukaku, suggesting they shouldn’t change the current set-up.
Chelsea made headlines recently by lodging a hefty £85 million offer for Romelu Lukaku, They also included Marcos Alonso, but Inter Milan rejected the bid, reportedly asking for around £100 million. The Blues are expected to return with a new offer and match the Italian club’s asking price.
Despite winning the Serie A last term, Inter have failed to strengthen their side; instead, they have lost key personnel. Manager Antonio Conte left, followed by star right-back, Achraf Hakimi who PSG snapped up. It’s all because of the San Siro outfit’s financial situation and the need to balance their books.
However, Chelsea have realised an opportunity with Inter’s financial struggles and are ready to take their best player. Lukaku wasn’t the Blues’ primary target as they spent the whole summer chasing Erling Haaland. That move hit a snag, allowing Chelsea to pursue their former Belgian striker.
Under Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea won the Champions League and are looking to strengthen their side for the upcoming season. The need for a striker was considered essential after having a tough time scoring loads of goals. The Stamford Bridge club are ready to spend big to solve the problem and have the Belgian in mind.
Lukaku spent time with Chelsea earlier, then signed for Everton, scoring 87 goals in 166 appearances. Later he was signed by Manchester United, where he had a decent record of 42 goals in 96 appearances. However, since moving to Italy, his levels have gone considerably up, as he has transformed himself into one of Europe’s most formidable frontmen.
While most people associated with Chelsea are excited, one of their former stars isn’t feeling the same way. Gianfranco Zola had some words of advice for his old club. The Italian states, the Blues need not make a move for Lukaku as it could change the current team’s dynamics, which he prefers to stay the same.
Speaking with Calciomercato, Zola expressed his concerns over a move for Lukaku. Sport Witness published quotes from the Italian legend. Zola said, “Chelsea had an extraordinary season last year, but the focus was always on the fact that they lacked a goalscorer. They often created chances, and in some games, they were quite penalised. Lukaku comes in to fill that gap, but I liked Chelsea the way they were.
“Werner did a dirty job for everyone else, and the reason they won the Champions League is because he put others in a position to do well. I’m curious to see Lukaku, but I liked Chelsea the way they were.”
Zola’s words do make some degree of sense, but no club in the world, if finances allowed them, would miss an opportunity to sign a striker like Lukaku. However, spending £100 million on a 28-year-old player would make less sense financially, considering he won’t have much of a resale value later.
But, it seems like Chelsea will eventually sign the striker up for around £100 million and bring the Belgian back to the Premier League. Will the big-striker hit the ground running in England remains the question.
I understand where Zola is coming from in respect of Lukaku. Certainly, in terms of Lukaku’s age, you can argue that the financial outlay will struggle to be recouped. But Lukaku knows the Premiership very well which is very different from other countries. The Likes of Erling Haaland could struggle in the Premiership initially, as has Timo Werner. This is a fine balance between a very successful 28-year-old, who has a point to prove at Chelsea, and a 20-year-old Norweigan, who is a generational talent wanted by practically every large club in Europe. For Chelsea, not signing Haaland this season, will mean competing with every big club on a much smaller signing on fee. I am not sure the extent that Haaland will want to come to Chelsea next season with so many others in the mix. I like Haaland a great deal and personally, I would prefer to invest in Haaland now, albeit at a much higher price, to obtain his services. Where I do think Zola is right is that bringing in Lukaku could be at the expense of the style we currently play. I would also want Werner and Hakim Ziyech to be given the chance to improve on last season instead of spending money on Rice and another defender when our squad and academy have talented players ready to be given PL experience.
I don’t like lukaku as an option, lukaku is 28 years now he can only play 4 to 5 years of active football so it’s of no use , I prefer we manage Tammy and show more commitment to Haaland so he knows we truly need him next summer, but with lukaku in Chelsea Haaland can never find Chelsea attractive enough to come to.