Lukaku’s €115m disaster was lose-lose for Chelsea & Inter
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 29 Jun 2022 19:26 BST
- 4 min read
Romelu Lukaku has been one of the greatest forwards of his era, but he never quite convinced at Chelsea - to put it lightly.
His first spell at the club was most well-known for his missed penalty against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Super Cup following Chelsea's Europa League win, and his second spell revolved around his infamous interview with Sky Italia in which he expressed his desire to return to Inter.
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That has now transpired after a quite disastrous year for the striker. He has returned to Inter on a one-year loan, with the Italians paying €8 million plus €4m in add-ons.
Neither stint at Stamford Bridge went as planned, whether it was as a prodigious young talent, or as a world class striker, Lukaku hasn't lived up to expectations on either occasion.
After leaving Manchester United, Lukaku found solace in Serie A and a home at Inter. Finally paired with Antonio Conte and alongside the dynamic Lautaro Martinez, Lukaku thrived in the Italian game and he continued to set the standard in international football.
Now Belgium's all-time record goal-scorer, there's no denying Lukaku's talent, but it didn't work out at Chelsea.
He showed promise in fits and starts this past season with some moments of genuine quality. His second debut against Arsenal, his bulldozing performance off the bench against Aston Villa, a brace against Wolves and his all-round display in the win over Leeds in the subsequent game all spring to mind, but there was little to no consistency.
The player isn't solely to blame, though. Injury problems and lack of suitability to how Thomas Tuchel wants to play have both played their part, with Kai Havertz's fluidity of movement and pressing ability meaning he has often been preferred through the middle.
Chelsea signed Lukaku to close the gap to Manchester City and Liverpool, but if anything that margin to the two widened.
However, while Inter may have laughted to the bank with the €115 million fee Chelsea paid them last summer - even more so now they have him back on loan for a maximum fee of €12m - they also suffered with the move.
Inter also paid the price
While they received plenty of money, they haven't spent much of it yet (due to financial restraints), and they missed out on the Scudetto despite this Serie A season being one of the weakest in recent history.
Juventus and Atalanta both took huge steps backwards, and despite losing Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi and Conte last summer, Inter were the favourites heading into the campaign.
However, AC Milan ended their 11-year drought without a league title by beating Sassuolo 3-0 on the final day, former Chelsea striker Giroud ironically the hero with a double.
Edin Dzeko was brought in as Lukaku's replacement, but despite a promising start to life at San Siro, the Bosnian netted just six league goals after October. He is now for sale following Lukaku's return.
Seventeen goals in all competitions sounds a very respectable amount for the elder statesman, but he dropped off when Inter desperately needed him in the run-in.
Lautaro also suffered without Lukaku. The Argentine stepped up in his absence, but his hot-streak style of scoring goals ensured Inter didn't have a reliable goal-scorer throughout the season, which cost Inter.
His strange finishing technique sees him rewarded with plenty of chances, but he often scores the hard opportunity and misses the easy one. Due to this, Inter have experienced relative goal droughts in which they've dropped points.
Of course, Inter now have Lukaku back and he will likely perform well for the club in 2022-23. But they threw away an almost certain Scudetto last season by deciding to sell him.
As for Chelsea, they will just be hoping to forget the whole sorry episode as they start to splash the cash again this summer under Todd Boehly.
