This summer, CHELSEA may suffer significant financial losses.
If Chelsea had heeded Gary Neville's counsel regarding Romelu Lukaku, they could have prevented suffering substantial financial losses. The Sky Sports analyst opined that the Belgian striker would not be able to adjust to the high-pressing style of contemporary English football.
Lukaku struggled in the English capital, scoring just eight goals in 26 Premier League appearances after moving to Chelsea in a £97.5 million deal from Inter Milan last summer. Since then, with the Blues desperate to get him off the payroll, he has returned to Italy on a cheap loan deal that will last till the conclusion of the following campaign.
Neville's earlier remarks regarding the striker have now come to light, and the former captain of Manchester United has warned the Stamford Bridge team that the Belgian striker is unsuited for the English game.
On the Sports news overlap podcast, Neville stated that given the 29-year-flaws old's in the press, managers like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp would not have attempted to sign him.
Romelu Lukaku wasn't seen by Gary Neville to be a good fit for English football's heavy press (Image)
"In a million years, Jurgen Klopp wouldn't sign Lukaku. Pep Guardiola probably wouldn't either, but Chelsea has had that kind of striker, the 47-year-old stated.
"A Diego Costa, a Didier Drogba, that muscular presence that wants to carry that line. That has been a part of their arsenal for twenty years. It is suitable for Chelsea Football Club. He wouldn't press from the front, so Jurgen Klopp would never like him.
For the same reason, he even thought the 102-cap international would not have worked at United, his previous club.
He wouldn't work at Old Trafford. There needs to be a personality up front for the fans. Old Trafford works well for Edinson Cavani. Although he's likely past his prime, he still puts in much more effort off the ball than Lukaku.
After failing at Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku has subsequently returned to Inter Milan. (Photo)
Lukaku said that coming back to Italy felt a bit like coming home, and that he was at peace in Milan.
The striker said, "It's like going home." "I believe the people, the supporters, and my team-mates contributed to the great time my family and I had in Milan. Everyone here has been really helpful to me since the first day I arrived, which makes me very happy.
"When I went to England, I didn't even leave my house, which just goes to show how glad I am to be back here. I'm just eager to see the players on the field right now.
Lukaku still had the option of returning to Stamford Bridge because the loan deal did not include a buy-back clause. If Chelsea wanted to permanently part ways with the player, they would have to approve a trade that would be extremely expensive for the team, something that could have been avoided had they heeded Neville's advise in the first place.
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