Romelu Lukaku could be the answer to Chelsea’s problems in front of goal under Graham Potter, according to Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves.
Lukaku re-joined United for a then-club record transfer fee of £97.5million in August 2021. The Belgian striker signed a five-year deal worth £350,000 per week but the move did not work out as the Blues had hoped.
The 29-year-old returned to Inter on loan in June, where he has struggled with injuries this season. But he has made an impact after returning from injury, scoring in his past two matches, against Udinese in Serie A and against Porto in the Champions League.
His goals come amid serious issues at his parent club, with Graham Potter’s side desperately short of goals. Chelsea have scored just 23 goals in as many Premier League games and Ferdinand and Hargreaves think Lukaku would help ease the problems if he returns over the summer.
“If he can get back fit again, this guy is proven to be a goalscorer, simple as that,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport. “I think: new manager, give him a chance. You’ve got no-one in there that you trust at the moment – [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang isn’t even in the European squad.
“This guy, he’s just a goalscorer, he knows how to score goals. He’s not fit and he’s carrying a bit more weight than normal – than what he would like, what the club would like – yet still comes in and scores two goals in the last two games.”
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Hargreaves was then asked whether he thought Lukaku’s Chelsea career was over. “No chance,” he said. “Especially when they’ve spent £600m and they don’t have a centre-forward. They’ve got a really good one.
“Just get him fit, he’s proven. Rio’s right, his body of work shows he scores goals. Why would you not try and integrate him back in the summer?”
Chelsea have splashed the cash in the past two transfer windows under Todd Boehly, signing the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badashile, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly, but they are struggling to find the back of the net. The Blues have won just two of their past 15 matches in all competitions, with Potter’s side scoring just six times in that miserable run.
Sterling and Kai Havertz are level at the top of the scoring charts, with six apiece, with Mason Mount, Aubameyang and Jorginho, who has since left for Arsenal, all contributing three goals. Lukaku scored eight goals in the Premier League for Chelsea last season amid personal issues with Thomas Tuchel.
He has scored three goals in 13 games for Inter this season. His latest goal on Wednesday night gave the Italian side a 1-0 win over Porto in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
