Chelsea players REFUSE to pass to Lukaku
FT Desk
- 19 Jan 2022 19:01 GMT
- 3 min read
Romelu Lukaku’s teammates are refusing to pass the ball to him following his infamous interview, according to Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Lukaku caused a storm at Chelsea in December after he gave an unauthorised interview to Sky Sport Italia during which he declared his unhappiness at Chelsea, criticised manager Thomas Tuchel’s tactics and said that he wanted to return to Inter.
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This infuriated Chelsea’s management, owners and fans and led to Lukaku being dropped for the Premier League draw against Liverpool, with the ex-Inter star not even named on the bench.
Lukaku subsequently held talks with Tuchel and the club and the player apologised privately and publicly for his actions.
He was reintegrated into the squad but, just like the Chelsea team as a whole, has struggled badly in 2022 with just one goal in five games.
Lukaku produced another miserable performance on Tuesday as Chelsea drew 1-1 with Brighton, a result that means they are now 12 points behind Man City at the top of the table.
What did Agbonlahor say about Lukaku?
"I actually felt sorry for Lukaku last night," Agbonlahor said. "The only way that he was going to score last night was if he got the ball, took a couple players on and got a shot off.
"He was getting no service, he was starved of any service from anyone, and Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech even though he scored a goal, weren't really putting any chances on a plate for Lukaku.
"I've noticed with Lukaku the last two games, it feels like his team-mates aren't passing to him. He must have arm-ache, from the amount of times he's put his arm up for a pass, a cross, a through ball, but Chelsea just keep playing this keep ball without trying to score, so I feel sorry for Lukaku.
"I think there's something going on there, have they not forgiven him for what he done? You can see his frustration with Ziyech, and no striker is going to score goals in that Chelsea team with no service.
"He's not getting any touches during the game, especially during the first half. He probably touched the ball maybe 10 or 11 times."
The situation with Lukaku is fast developing into a fully-blown crisis.
Chelsea paid €115 million for the striker last summer in the hope he would be the final piece in the jigsaw to take them to Premier League glory.
But he has scored only eight goals in 23 games – with zero assists – and is already being described as one of the transfer flops of the 2021-22 season.
