Cristiano Ronaldo to Chelsea: The perfect Romelu Lukaku replacement?

Cameron Smith

2 Jul 2022 17:56 BST
4 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo, Man Utd, 2021-22 — © ProShots

There will be a Romelu Lukaku-shaped hole in Chelsea's first-team squad next season following confirmation the Belgian has returned to Inter Milan on a season-long loan.

Article continues under the video

The former Manchester United forward failed to deliver on expectations last campaign, and has made a sensational move back to San Siro to link up with strike partner Lautaro Martinez at Inter once again.

Although he managed just eight Premier League goals during the 2021/22 season, not the tally he was signed for €115 million to produce, Lukaku will still leave a considerable hole in the Chelsea squad that needs to be filled.

With Timo Werner's future also up in the air, there is suddenly a need for reinforcements through the middle at Chelsea as Kai Havertz is yet to prove himself as a reliable goal-scorer at Stamford Bridge.

One man who could fill that void in the Blues squad Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese icon returned to Man Utd last year after 11 years away from the club, but he could be moving onto pastures new yet again this summer.

Ronaldo has asked Man United to let him leave this transfer window if they receive a respectable offer, our sources have confirmed following The Times' exclusive report.

It comes after The Athletic's David Ornstein revealed that Ronaldo's famed agent, Jorge Mendes, has met with new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly in Portugal.

Boehly, who took over the West London club following Roman Abramovich's exit, named himself interim sporting director upon Marina Granovskaia's departure from Chelsea, and has acted fast to speak to one of the biggest agents in the world.

© ProShots - Jorge Mendes is the agent to many of football's biggest stars

While the specific details of the meeting between Mendes and Boehly aren't known, Ornstein has reported that Ronaldo's name did come up in conversation in relation to a possible move from Man Utd to Chelsea.

No concrete talks have been confirmed, but Ronaldo could become a Chelsea player by the end of the summer if certain pieces fall into place.

His contract at Old Trafford expires in 2024, meaning the Red Devils may not be able to demand a huge fee for the star even though they want to keep him.

Would Ronaldo be a good Lukaku replacement?

If Chelsea were to decide that actively pursuing Ronaldo this window is suitable and effective business then there are several positives to the move. A key positive from Boehly's perspective will be the monetary gain of signing a global superstar such as the former Real Madrid man.

The revenue Ronaldo would bring to West London would be extraordinary, and may be just as useful as his performances on the pitch. And, his on-field form remains at a good level as well.

© ProShots - Cristiano Ronaldo continued his goal-scoring form at Man Utd last season

Despite turning 37 last season, the forward still managed 24 goals in all competitions, which would've ranked first in Chelsea's squad by quite some distance.

With a lack of a true world-class number nine, Chelsea have gone five years since winning the Premier League title, incidentally when Diego Costa was still at the club.

Ronaldo could go some way to fixing that, given he some possesses immense goal-scoring instincts. However, his link-up play isn't quite up to scratch, and crucially he doesn't have the defensive worth ethic that Tuchel would demand.

Havertz was often preferred to Lukaku simply because of his ability to press defenders and fluidly interchange with the likes of Mason Mount. Tuchel was willing to sacrifice the individual, in this case Lukaku, for the team, and a similar scenario could happen with Ronaldo.

The all-round package is needed to play under Tuchel, and Ronaldo hasn't shown that he possesses those traits. As a like-for-like Lukaku replacement then, Ronaldo would be perfect: a quality goal-scorer without the defensive work-rate Tuchel demands. But, that isn't what Chelsea will want or what they need.

© ProShots - Romelu Lukaku struggled back at Chelsea last season

For example, over the past year Havertz ranks in the top 15% of forward in Europe's top five leagues for pressures per 90 with 18.6. By comparison, Lukaku's tally of 11.1 puts him in the bottom 20%, while Ronaldo is remarkably in the very bottom one percent of forwards for this metric with just 6.5 pressures per 90. He is the polar opposite of a Tuchel forward, and it's fair to say it may not be a match made in heaven.

Links to Ousmane Dembele and Raheem Sterling make far more sense, and while neither are a direct replacement for Lukaku, they don't need to be. Havertz deserves an extended period in the team as the main striker in order to flourish and next season should be that time.

Ronaldo may want to leave Man Utd, and the Blues have been linked, but that doesn't mean Chelsea should sign him