Chelsea looks dead set on signing Romelu Lukaku. He’s not the flashy signing Erling Haaland would be, but he’s still a megastar striker. Lukaku is also one of the most oddly criticized players of his ability.
There are many arguments against Lukaku as a player. Almost none of them make any sense. So, without further ado, let’s destroy the most common of the silly arguments.
He doesn’t score enough against big teams!
This is perhaps the most famous stick to use against Lukaku. Despite all his goals in the Premier League, he always struggled to score against the top teams. In his seven Premier League seasons, he only scored 16 goals against the traditional top six.
And you know what? It doesn’t matter. Chelsea needs goals. Specifically, Chelsea needs goals against the teams that sit back and deny space. Thomas Tuchel’s side didn’t have an issue when teams opted to come on to the Blues. The issue was when they dared Chelsea to break them down. Lukaku is the man to break through that.
If Lukaku is scoring 15 plus goals a season against just minnows, that’s exactly what Chelsea needs. It’s like Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas’ arrival. In 2013/2014, Chelsea had no way of breaking down defensive teams. The club got those two players and suddenly they were Premier League champions again.
The club isn’t going to win the Premier League on the back of beating top six rivals alone, which they already seem to have figured out. The club needs to pick up all the points they should be picking up in games they are favorites. That’s where the club has stumbled most in recent years and if Lukaku can score, that matters more than who it is against.