Certain events are baffling. They really are. Like the treatment Romelu Lukaku has received since earning his move to Chelsea.
Romelu Lukaku has been an uprising superstar for several years, so you’d be forgiven in thinking he is older than 18. He is quite simply coveted in that most top European clubs have bee linked with an interest in him over the past two seasons. His record is marvellous. 121 goals in 68 games for youth team Lierse is an eye-popping statistic, while claiming the Jupiler Pro League top goalscorer award at just 16 years of age isn’t bad either.
With all these impressive statistics to back his name, including 12 full caps for Belgium at the time of writing, why has he been treated this way?
Before joining Chelsea, he expressed that he had a soft spot for the club after visiting Stamford Bridge on a school tour around a year ago. He explained, whilst still an RSC Anderlecht player, that he would not leave Belgium to be farmed out on loan.
Perhaps Chelsea did not want to send him on loan to Stoke, perhaps it was a blind or hopeful enquiry, but it should not have come to the Premier League and ruling M 7.1 to halt the transfer. Chelsea, or more importantly Andre Villas-Boas himself, should show more faith in the teenager by outright rejecting the bid.
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Following on from this, Lukaku suffered major disappointment in being left out of the Chelsea Champions League 25 man squad. Due to home-grown rules, Chelsea were only able to name 22 players, leaving 3 spaces for the absent home grown personnel. In doing so it created a conundrum for Villas-Boas on who to leave out. Lukaku was the unfortunate sufferer, which will have been heart break from him personally as he misses the opportunity to line up against Genk.
The opportunity is of course there for Lukaku to join the squad in January for the knock-out stages but considering the combined goal total in the last 21 games from Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou is a torrid 12, Lukaku may well have been a wise choice to select. Clearly, Villas-Boas believes they will sail through the group stages despite these problems, but when will Lukaku get the chance to prove himself if not against the likes of Genk?
Take it all into context. He is a boy, 18 years old. Moved from Belgium to live in London and trying hard to settle in and master a new language. The psychological blows of dealing with unwanted loan speculation and being dropped from a roster is pretty tough. Perhaps Chelsea need to look after their brand new £18m investment a bit better because the entire world will agree they have acquired what could become the best striker in the world.
Should Romelu Lukaku have merited a place in the Champions League ahead of the likes of Oriol Romeu? Do you agree that loaning him out would be a big mistake?
Put simply, Romelu Lukaku NEEDS games and should have been loaned out to Stoke to gain Premiership experience. He would have benefited greatly from playing time rather than sitting on the bench for Chelsea even if the loan had only been up until Xmas. Yes, he one for the future but that ‘future’ could have been and would have been brought forward by the lad playing regular first team football. Chelsea missed a trick by not loaning him out and will do the same with Josh MacEachran if AVB doesn’t start playing him too. start
If only AVB can listen to d fan’s comments, FRANK LAMPARD is weak n needs to b played only 15 mins in some of our matches. Andre Villas Boas should give McEachran J d chance to teach Lampard wat he has forgotten in d midfield. Lampard dnt worth dat 90 mins again. We av very energetic players there for our midfield (MEIRELES, RAMIRES, ROMEU, MCEACHRAN, MIKEL).
Lampard should be benched.
No player can score from the bench. AVB please use Lukaku and McEachran as much as u can so as to gain experience they sh have played Sat game against Sunderland for 1-2 win was not to expectation!
why do people pick on the slightest of things and make t into a mountain,we are just four games into d season and here u guys are shouting on avb nt playing mceachran,wen he wil definately play some time soon,and on lukaku,if d guy doesnt play dis season that doesnt make him any less important to d future of chelsea football club,in a year’s tym,he torresn sturridege wud b d only strikers in chelsea,so nt playn in d cl doesnt stop him frrom developing,n even d chap has alredi said t,HE IS HERE TO LEARN AND BIDE HIS TYm,we hav six quality strikers,if one doesnt play week in week out,t isnt bad,and please dis guy is only 18,n wud serve chelsea for at least the next 12 yrs
u guys are here,shouting for avb to play josh,lukaku,oriol,davila,courtois,kakuta,kalas,n so on,if dis kids are played and end up losing,m very sure all of you wud b d first to critisize avb for playing’inexperienced’ kids,let dis guy do his work without all dis fuss abt youngsters nt playn,chelsea is a team in transition,u cant expect a overhauling of the team overnight,t takes tym,so please chelsea fans be patient and also plead with MR ABRAMOVICH to give dis guy tym at least three years,den u guys can have his head if he fails to deliver,KTBFFH
Lukaku is very good and dangerous as some other suggest.. I wish he was in the UCL rather than the likes of Kalou. AVB Should have sent him on loan since he has no much faith in him.. so he can gain more playing time experience. 121 goal in 68 games at his age is too incredible … He even should have been the # 1 starter than the other goal shy strikers he have now. I want to see him and Drogba all together in the 4-4-2 formation. if he does not get more playing time I wish he join stock city on loan …
it’s not a wise decision to play lampard for 90 min bc he already down.
y ar we bothering our selves we’ve only played 4 games atleast let d team gel together first,we ar building a team pls give d boss tym guys as u all know dis guys ar under 20 dat is 12years tym the ar on luk at sturrigde he’s now fit for first team games.patience guys