Sunday People

Ol’ Blu eyes is back for good

CHELSEA FAN ROM: I ’M A STAYER

- By Harry Pratt

ROMELU LUKAKU has promised Chelsea fans he will not jump ship.

And ahead of his second debut for Chelsea, the £97.5million man claimed he is ready to settle down and see out his five-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku, 28, said: “I’ve moved to a lot of teams but, yes, I’ve come back to this one – and this is the right time and the right place for me to do that and to stay.

“I am very fortunate to sign a fiveyear deal at this club and now I will try to achieve as much as possible throughout these years. “

Chelsea’s gain is very much Inter Milan’s loss. There has been uproar among the Italian club’s faithful over his sudden departure after his goals helped them land the Serie A title.

But Lukaku has only ever had eyes for Chelsea.

The Blues have been his favourite club since he was a kid rising through the ranks at Belgium side Anderlecht.

Allegiance

And that allegiance has remained unwavering so when Thomas Tuchel came calling in July, he did not hesitate in seizing the opportunit­y to resume his lifelong footballin­g dream.

“When you are supporting a team since you were 10-years old and you get the opportunit­y to play for them, what do you think it means? That was really it,” Lukaku explained.

“There are people who love Real Madrid, people who love Barcelona, people who love Inter Milan. I love Chelsea. That was the thing I had worked for. Now I am here... and I’m very happy.”

For such a lethal marksman at club and internatio­nal level, Lukaku has little interest in personal stats.

The striker, who has 251 goals in 508 games for seven clubs, says that scoring goals is not his main motivation as he enters his peak years – and wants silverware. Quizzed about emulating the

feats of Bayern

Munich’s Robert Lewandowsk­i (right), who continues to rack up huge numbers well into his 30s, Lukaku’s response was unexpected.

“I don’t look too much forward. I’ve never been a guy who talks about personal ambition,” added Belgium’s all-time scorer, with 64 in 98 appearance­s.

“I’m the type who lets my football on the pitch do the talking. I don’t talk about individual records and numbers because that’s not me.

Winning

“All I’m interested in talking about is winning. The rest is nice but winning is the most important thing.

“Chelsea’s ambition is very consistent. As a player, if you get there, you know there’s a possibilit­y to win trophies.

“And that’s what I like about this

club.”

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NOW
Romelu Lukaku is back where he wants to be
HOME NOW Romelu Lukaku is back where he wants to be

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