Is Romelu Lukaku the right striker for Chelsea?

Since the start of the summer transfer window, everyone in the footballing world was aware that Chelsea was interested in signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland but that deal was never as easy as expected. It would obviously have been an expensive deal to complete because the German club is demanding £150 million as a fee, not even counting the agent fees and signing fees involved which will take the full package above £200 million. All of this and on top you would have to take into account the high wages he would demand which according to The Athletic would break Chelsea’s wage structure.

Chelsea’s priority was Erling Haaland from the start with players like Romelu Lukaku, Robert Lewandowski, and many more being the backup options. The club was in regular contact with the Borussia Dortmund board and wanted to reduce the asking price for the Norwegian striker but that never happened.

Anyone who was thinking with a practical mindset knew that this deal was never going to happen unless and until Chelsea paid an astronomical fee and broke their wage structure. The prolonged negotiations also pointed out that there is no way Chelsea would pay so much money. Now in the past few days, the Blues have started their pursuit of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan and are very confident of securing the deal.

But the news of Chelsea now pursuing Romelu Lukaku instead of Erling Haaland has made the fans question the board which seems very absurd. Any Chelsea fan who was thinking in the first place that the club would sign the Norwegian striker with an extortionate fee and astronomical wages were dreaming of a fantasy signing.

Many fans are pointing out the fact that signing the Belgian striker will not be good because of his age as he’ll have no resale value. This point is true and Erling Haaland being so young will have a large resale value, but not every player falls off a cliff when it comes to footballing ability when they age, and the Inter Milan striker looks like a player who gets better by age. Just take the example of players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Jamie Vardy, Josip Illicic. It really does look like a safe and advantageous deal for Chelsea.

At the time of writing this article, Chelsea has already seen one bid rejected by Inter Milan which had £85 million-plus Marcus Alonso included. But seeing the financial state of the Italian club, they still need to sell another top player. And to their fan’s disappointment, that player will be Romelu Lukaku as the Blues are preparing a second bid around the £110 million mark which will be accepted by Inter Milan. It is also said that Romelu Lukaku has asked Inter Milan to accept suitable offers as he wants to return to Stamford Bridge. The Belgian striker feels there is some unfinished business left to do in Premier League for the Blues.

To all the fans who are questioning the club’s decision saying “If the club can pay £110 million for Romelu Lukaku, why can’t they pay £150 million for Erling Haaland?” here is why this deal can be more beneficial than buying Borussia Dortmund striker.

Chelsea is buying one of the best strikers right now in the world with a whole host of experience. This was not the case when Chelsea sold him seven years ago to Everton. Plus, Romelu Lukaku’s experience of having played previously in the Premier League means he does not need to understand and get used to the league.

Under former manager Antonio Conte, the Belgian striker played in a three at the back system. This point also benefits Chelsea as Thomas Tuchel has stuck with his preferred formation of 3-4-3 since the start of his tenure at the club. So, when it comes to the tactical aspects of the game, Romelu Lukaku would adapt faster and provide more options.

Comparing Romelu Lukaku’s and Erling Haaland’s stats from last season would help people understand that both of them are very similar when it comes to goals scored but the Inter Milan striker is a superior all round player than Erling Haaland.

And finally coming to the financial part of the deal, signing Romelu Lukaku means the club would have to pay fewer transfer fees, signing on fees, agent fees, and wages. All of this would result in the club saving large amounts of cash which can be used in future transfer dealings and best of all, the club would not have to deal with Mino Raiola because of whom the club could not sign Romelu Lukaku in the first place back in 2017.