‘Why did Chelsea buy Lukaku?’ – Arsenal legend Henry gives his take on Blues flop
Robin Bairner
- 23 Feb 2022 10:04 CST
- 3 min read
Arsenal great Thierry Henry cannot understand the logic behind Chelsea’s move for Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgium international forward made a blockbuster €115 million from Inter to Stamford Bridge, but after a promising start has seen his form deteriorate massively.
He has yet to score in the Premier League in 2022 and has netted only twice in the competition since a double against Aston Villa on 11 September,
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After touching the ball only seven times in last weekend’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace – a record low for the competition since records began – he was left on the bench for Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Lille.
Even among the substitutes, it was a game that went badly for Lukaku. Not only did he not get a second of play, Kai Havertz, his replacement, turned in one of his brightest performances for the Blues and opened the scoring with a classic downward header.
Henry was on punditry duty for the game with CBS and gave his opinion on the situation.
“Why did Chelsea buy Lukaku?” he asked. “From the start, I asked myself whether he could fit into this team.”
Henry's advice to Lukaku
Henry, of course, knows Lukaku’s game intimately, having worked with him as part of Roberto Martinez’s coaching staff at Barcelona. And he does not appear optimistic that the forward will ever show his best with the club.
“He’ll have to adapt his game to play with Chelsea,” Henry, who is Arsenal’s record goal scorer, explained. “This will take time and it won’t be easy.
“Is it normal only to have seven touches in a game? No, it’s not normal, whether the coach likes you or not. It shouldn’t happen.”
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, argued that he had left Lukaku out of the starting XI for the Lille match in order to “rest a little” before a big Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday.
