Why Romelu Lukaku flopped at Chelsea but will star at Inter
Karan Tejwani
- 13 Aug 2022 03:56 CDT
- 3 min read
Romelu Lukaku completed a loan move from Chelsea to Inter, after a complicated return to Stamford Bridge that lasted just one season.
The Belgian was at Inter between 2019 and 2021, and had two solid years, being the star of their Serie A-winning team of the 2020-21 season, before returning to Chelsea, where he played between 2011 and 2014.
However, he scored just 15 goals in 44 appearances with the Blues, falling out of favour with coach Thomas Tuchel and fans after an interview in December last year.
That prompted for calls to sell him, and he got his loan move, as Inter paid £6.9 million for his season-long loan, as Chelsea hope to make the most of the £97.5 million they paid for him a year ago.
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Conte confident of Lukaku success
Now, though, his former coach, Antonio Conte, who managed him in Italy, has spoken about why he was able to enjoy himself so much more in Milan.
"I think Romelu lived two years in Milan and he was the king. The fans showed him a lot of passion and I think he's a guy who needs this,” the Tottenham boss said.
"For this reason I think he wanted to come back in Milan, but for sure the signing was a good signing for Chelsea. Then you know very well there are players that need more time to make an impact.
"We are talking about a player who came back to Chelsea and now he is on loan at Inter for this season, but he has the potential to play in the Premier League.”
Conte added about confidence, believing the Belgian thrives when there are positive surroundings around him, and that he’ll regain that confidence when he’s back in Serie A.
On this day in 2019, Romelu Lukaku became an Inter player for the fist time 🔵⚫️
He scored 64 goals in 95 games, and became a Serie A champion during his first spell in Italy 💪
How many will he score on his return to the San Siro? 🤔
pic.twitter.com/LgDG3CfJtd— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) August 8, 2022
"I remember very well when he started to play last season, he played really well and you in the media said Lukaku is really strong.
"A lot of things can happen and drop the confidence. I know for sure he is a bit disappointed with his impact because he wanted to have another impact in England.
"But he has time. Now it's right for him to play for an important club in Italy, to try to get again confidence in himself, but we are talking about a really important and really good striker."
In his last spell at Inter, Lukaku scored 64 goals in 95 appearances – a fine return for the player – and he made a good partnership with Lautaro Martinez, which will be explored yet again this season under Simone Inzaghi.
