Romelu Lukaku is apparently ‘not talking’ to Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino and a certain Jose Mourinho – allegedly himself weighing up the possibility of signing the striker for Roma – has taken it upon himself to show the Argentine how to manage him the difficult Belgian.
Mourinho has taken it upon his broad shoulders to explain to the new Chelsea boss how Lukaku needs to be managed while the Roma boss himself is weighing up a move for the striker, who is supposedly not on speaking terms with Pochettino. Lukaku has opted again to be problematic at Stamford Bridge after having been left out of Pochettino’s plans while the club have not been able to get the Belgian striker off their books due to his extortionate wage demands. Naturally the Blues are unwilling to part ways with the striker without first being able to maximize on their earlier investment in signing him.
Lukaku had enjoyed popularity with Roma’s Serie A rivals Inter before he was shuttled back to Stamford Bridge for a second spell in 2021 in a mega costly move. However he fell far short of the high expectations and even blamed his poor performances on then manager Thomas Tuchel’s way of managing and the Belgian was soon shipped back to the Italian outfit on loan before the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Having found the net 14 times in 37 appearances but was not a regular as his side reached the Champions League final, the Belgian striker was plagued by injuries last season. Now a return to Milan is now apparently off the table as the Nerazzurri are instead signing Marcus Thuram and Marko Arnautovic.
Lukaku hasn’t even spoken with Pochettino after making clear his desire to leave Stamford Bridge and that he is not part of the first-team training, according to The Telegraph. With just barely more than a week of the transfer window remaining, time is obviously running out rapidly for a move to be finalised involving the Belgian.
As for the Roma-Lukaku link according to Calciomercato, Mourinho briefly managed the Belgian at Chelsea before signing him for Mancester United in 2017. The Giallorossi are on the lookout for a striker due to Tammy Abraham being sidelined through injury and the Portuguese boss – despite having a patchy relationship with the Belgian – is certain he can still get the best out of Lukaku, who is said to favour a move to Italy.
“[In his first spell] at Chelsea, he was still a kid. At Manchester United, he was still developing. At Inter he became the top man,” Mourinho told The Times in June last year.
“He became loved – a big love from the supporters, love from teammates, great relations with the coach. He’s a big guy, physically so strong, but there is also a kid inside who needs that love, needs that support, needs to feel important.”