‘More complete’ Lukaku ready to lead from the front for Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku has said he returns to Chelsea as a “more complete” player than ever before as he declared himself ready to be a new leader on the pitch for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Lukaku rejoined Chelsea from Inter Milan for £97.5million last week, 10 years after first signing for the club as a teenager.
The Belgium international, who spent two years in Italy after a mixed spell with Manchester United, said that his time at Inter helped him to “master all facets of the game” as he prepares for his Chelsea debut against Arsenal on Sunday. Asked how Tuchel sees his role in a starstudded Chelsea attack, Lukaku said: “The conversation was really clear from him, that he wants me to be a presence and a leader in the team.
“I have just to use all my abilities to make sure I can help the team as much as possible.
“My role will depend on what the game plan is and what the boss wants me to do. If he wants me to be a focal point or if he wants me to attack the spaces in behind, I can do it. The two years in Italy helped me master all the facets of the game for a striker and now I’m ready.
“I like the system that we play and I’m very flexible. I can play as a two or by myself and I’m used to the system because it’s what we play with the Belgian national team, so I don’t need much time to adapt.
“It’s just knowing the strengths of my team-mates in important positions and knowing what we do off the ball, then I can do the rest.”
Lukaku has a close relationship with Didier Drogba and said the former Chelsea striker helped him to get ready for this move back to Stamford Bridge.
“Our relationship means the world to me,” Lukaku said. “It’s not like we talk once a month, I talk to the guy every few days. He still knows a lot of people here, so he really prepared me well with the last details.”
Lukaku scored 64 goals in 95 matches for Inter and was a key player as they won the Serie A title last season. He generally played in a two-man strike force in Italy and Tuchel has suggested he could partner Lukaku with Timo Werner this season.
At the age of 28, and with 98 international appearances to his name,
Lukaku is expected to be one of the leaders of Tuchel’s side as they pursue a first Premier League title since 2017.
“I am a leader but I am also more of a gel person, making sure that everybody feels comfortable and confident,” he told the London club’s website.
“That’s the way I lead. When I was at Inter and when I’ve been captain of the national team, I make sure that everybody is confident and knows what they have to do. When there’s a difficult moment in the game, they can lean on me.”