Chelsea FC and Romelu Lukaku: Jose Mourinho’s judgement called into question once again
The latest reports claim that Jose Mourinho advised Chelsea FC officials against inserting a buy-back clause into Romelu Lukaku’s Everton contract.
In a story that will cause much chatter amongst Chelsea FC fans, Jose Mourinho reportedly told the Stamford Bridge brass that there was little need for a buy-back clause in Romelu Lukaku’s Everton contract. The Belgian left the Blues two years ago and is now linked with a return.
The Telegraph claims that the former Chelsea boss advised against including the option, in a move that could potentially cause the club a lot of many and much trouble over the summer.
"Mourinho was unequivocal in his belief that Lukaku would not be at such a level to interest him in re-signing the Belgian in two or three years. Planning, at the time, for the long-term with Mourinho, Chelsea felt it was pointless attempting to push for a buy-back option without the manager’s full support."
Oh dear.
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Mourinho’s critics will undoubtedly round on this report and use it to further strengthen their justification for sacking him. Frankly, even the most ardent of the tactician’s supporters will struggle to defend this decision.
Lukaku promised much when he was at Stamford Bridge, with expectations of him taking over from Didier Drogba as the lead striker. However, he was mismanaged by the club and he eventually packed his bags.
A successful loan spell with Everton caused the Toffees to pay around £30 million in order to secure his services on a permanent basis. Departing as a 21-year-old, there was still scope for Lukaku to develop into the world-beater that everyone had initially predicted.
With that, inserting a buy-back clause as a part of the deal appears like a no-brainer. Of course, the Blues would have been forced to sacrifice some of the upfront fee to facilitate this, but there is little justification for not doing so.
Lukaku has indeed significantly improved and Chelsea are now interested in resigning him. Furthermore, his quality is reflected in supposed interest from European giants such as Bayern Munich while Everton have slapped a mammoth asking price in excess of £60 million on his head.
Similar to the failure to secure a buy-back option for Kevin De Bruyne, Mourinho has shown questionable judgement by advising against one for Lukaku.
His treatment of younger players has plagued the Portuguese throughout his career and this story does nothing but intensify those complaints. However, the Chelsea management and, in particular, Michael Emenalo should shoulder some of the blame. This could be seen as a mistake in taking Mourinho’s advice, but it could also be viewed as a failure to reach the right decision by committee.
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Nevertheless, the Lukaku fiasco will be a fresh stick with which the former Blues boss will be beaten and rightly so. Despite his multiple successes, this development once again casts doubt over his long-term judgement.