Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BLUE BLOOD
Lukaku’s love affair with Chelsea began when he was 10... and this time he’s in it for the long haul
ROMELU LUKAKU has promised Chelsea fans that he will not jump ship again.
And, ahead of his second ‘debut’ for Chelsea, the £97.5million striker 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 five-year deal at this club and now I’ll try to achieve as much as possible in these years.”
Chelsea’s gain is very much Inter Milan’s loss. There has been uproar among the
Italian club’s fans over Lukaku’s sudden departure, after his goals helped them land the Serie A title.
But Chelsea have been his favourite club since he was a kid rising through the ranks at Belgium side Anderlecht.
And that allegiance has remained unwavering. So when Thomas Tuchel (above) and the European champions came calling in July, the striker did not hesitate 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,” explained Lukaku.
“There are people who love Real Madrid or Barcelona or 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 shows little interest in personal stats.
The striker, who has 251 goals in 508 games for six different clubs, says that scoring is not his main motivation as he enters his peak years – he wants silverware.
Quizzed about emulating the feats of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, 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 top 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.
“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 in terms of winning trophies.
“As a player, if you get there, you know there’s a possibility to win multiple trophies.
“That’s what I like about this club.”