Romelu Lukaku has failed to regain the trust of Chelsea fans, and his plight could pave the way for Erling Haaland.
My expectations of Romelu Lukaku are quite high for a fee of £97 million. However, his output falls far short of expectations.
If there was ever a time to reflect on the club's business during the summer transfer window, it is now. In retrospect, was Lukaku a good buy?
Chelsea fans have been asking themselves that question since his interview with Sky Italia, and they now expect an answer from the Belgian on the field. To be honest, we haven't seen it yet.
He may have scored against Chesterfield in the FA Cup, but that is insufficient. Chelsea might have been better off waiting until the following summer transfer window to bring in Erling Haaland.
On Saturday, the Blues faced Manchester City in one of the most important matches of their Premier League campaign. It was critical for Thomas Tuchel's team to take all three points from the game in order to stay in the title race.
Unfortunately, they were defeated 1-0 by former Chelsea player Kevin De Bruyne. Ouch.
Given that Manchester City are the best team in England and possibly Europe at the moment, it was always going to be a difficult task.
Chelsea defeated Pep Guardiola's team three times at the end of last season, so what was different this time? Romelu Lukaku is the only answer I have to that question.
I cannot blame the loss solely on Lukaku, as there were several contributing factors, including injuries and poor performances.
However, there are times when you want your star players to take the initiative and create something out of nothing. On Saturday, Lukaku was tasked with doing just that, but he failed to produce the magic that his former teammate De Bruyne did.
Tuchel said it best after the game: "We were active and aggressive, we just lost the game in one individual situation."
The pressure to perform well as a number nine at Chelsea is enormous. It's a lot of pressure, but the best players thrive under it.
The difference between Haaland and the Lukaku, however, is that the Norwegian hitman can create something out of nothing. He puts up a fight and causes havoc on defenses; he thrives on the big stage. Lukaku struggled at the Etihad Stadium.
All I'm saying is that if you're expensive, you're expected to provide magical moments. Pieces of brilliance that set you apart from the crowd. That has yet to be seen from Lukaku.
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