Chelsea’s new striker Romelu Lukaku: Who the hell are you vol. 19

Romelu Lukaku is returning to Chelsea. It’s a story that should have happened years ago but the Blues are now signing one of the world’s best strikers regardless. Lukaku, a former Chelsea player, has unfinished business at the club. But who is he, and how did he leave the Blues at 21, nearly return at 24, only to finally return at 28?

History

There are four stories that really encapsulate Lukaku and his connection to Chelsea. The first comes when he was just a youth player at Anderlecht. On a tour at Stamford Bridge, Lukaku was heard saying “The day I’m playing here in this stadium, that will be the single time you would see my cry. I’m going to succeed.” Lukaku always knew he had what it takes to make it at a club like Chelsea.

After breaking through at Anderlecht, Chelsea signed Lukaku in 2011 for new manager Andre Villas-Boas. The Portuguese manager is often remembered for how he froze out the older players, but less remembered is he wasn’t all that great with young players either. Early in Villa-Boas’ tenure, Lukaku would vent his frustrations about the old guard always going first in a shooting game. It’s something that seems very innocent and probably was, but it shows that even at a young age Lukaku was unafraid to trust in his ability.

Chelsea would win the Champions League that same season but Lukaku wanted no part of it. In his mind, it wasn’t his achievement and he wouldn’t be wrong in thinking so. Many players do not care about the role they play when their team is lifting the Champions League, but Lukaku wouldn’t even touch the trophy. If his fingerprints were going to be on it, he would see that he put them there himself.

Lukaku would go on loan to West Brom and Everton in the following two seasons. He took the Premier League by storm in both years, only to see Jose Mourinho push the club for Diego Costa rather than trust Lukaku. The Belgian, always a believer in himself, submitted his transfer request to move to Everton permanently. There, he would continue to score for fun before the summer of 2017 arrived.

Which brings us to the fourth and final story that encapsulate Lukaku. That summer, Chelsea and Manchester United were fighting over the signings of Lukaku and Alvaro Morata. It was pretty clear each team would get one, but who went where was up in the air. That decision was made for Chelsea when United signed Lukaku.

It may seem strange that Lukaku, given his apparent love for the club, would sign for United. Ultimately, it came down to which club wanted him more. According to Lukaku, that was United from top to bottom.

His time at United went fine, ironically so long as Mourinho was there. Once Mourinho was sacked, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had little time for the Belgian striker. Meanwhile, Antonio Conte again sounded out his admiration for Lukaku. The two would finally link up at Inter Milan.

Which more or less brings the story up to date. Conte improved Lukaku massively, but Conte’s sudden departure from the team left Lukaku in the lurch. Lukaku was willing to stay, but as soon as Chelsea got serious about a transfer, his mind changed.

That’s all Lukaku in a nutshell. He’s a player that has immense belief in his own ability. Beyond that, he’s a player that wants to be wanted and he will be fiercely loyal to anyone that shows him the same. Thomas Tuchel supposedly contacted Lukaku ahead of the deal, right before it seemed a certainty. The Belgian is returning to the club with a point to prove and he will fight to make it happen.