Joe Cole has claimed that Romelu Lukaku has "six weeks to save his Chelsea career" after his shocking miss against Crystal Palace. The Blues were already 2-0 up in Sunday’s FA Cup semi final clash when the Belgian striker came off the bench and hit the post from the inside the six yard box after good work from Timo Werner.
Chelsea will meet Liverpool in the final on May 14 thanks to second half goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount. However, Lukaku's miss was a major talking point after the match, with the club record signing failing to impress yet again after replacing Kai Havertz in the 77th minute.
The 28-year-old has scored 12 goals in 37 appearances this season, and hasn’t found the back of the net since the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Middlesbrough on March 19. Lukaku's poor form has seen him dropped in favour of Havertz with Werner also finding form of late, and Cole believes that he is running out of time to stay in Thomas Tuchel’s plans going forward.
READ MORE: Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Highlights: Mason Mount and Loftus-Cheek goals send Blues to final
"He’s got six weeks to save his Chelsea career, if he wants it," Cole told ITV Sport.
"You look at Werner, he doesn’t give up when he doesn’t score. With Lukaku, he wants to be that focal point. He missed the chance and when it’s not going for you, it’s not going for you.
"He just gets it all wrong. He’ll be gutted cause he’s better than that."
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane added: "You have to ask a striker how badly do you want to score? It’s obviously mindset, he’s clearly not right."
Lukaku's failure to justify his £97.5 million transfer fee coupled with Havertz's impressive displays in the striker's position, and Werner’s improved recent form will only serve to increase the pressure on the Belgium international as the season reaches its climax. French giants Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly interested in acquiring his services if, as expected, Kylian Mbappe leaves when his contract expires in June.
