Romelu Lukaku looks set to leave Everton despite the Merseysiders showing big ambition in the transfer market
It seems almost inevitable that Romelu Lukaku will leave Everton this summer. The likes of Manchester United and Chelsea are reported to be plotting moves for Lukaku.
However, the reason for Lukaku leaving was supposedly the fact that Everton did not show enough ambition in the transfer market last summer.
This perceived lack of ambition resulted in the Toffees finishing seventh in the Premier League table and failing to qualify for the Champions League football.
It was never truly a realistic ambition for the Toffees anyway. The clubs that finished above them had better foundations or simply spent more money last summer.
Maybe that was Lukaku’s main gripe, that the Toffees had not spent significantly more of majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri’s money. Maybe Everton could have spent more money last summer to strengthen, but it was no guarantee of Champions League football.
Everton now showing real intent
Everton have already been busy this summer splashing the cash on goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Dutch attacking midfielder Davy Klaassen. The likes of Spanish striker Sandro Ramirez and England centre-back Michael Keane are also reportedly close to signing for the Toffees.
Meanwhile Toffees boss Ronald Koeman is also chasing Swansea playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson. A reported price tag of £40million does not seem to have put the big spending Toffees off the Icelandic star.
Everton look like they are having a real go at challenging for the Champions League spots next season.
Koeman will need to replace departing stars
If the signings of Keane and Sandro come off then Koeman will have a very good squad at his disposal. However, it seems that Lukaku is determined to leave the club, while playmaker Ross Barkley’s future on Merseyside is also in major doubt.
The 23-year-old has just 12 months left on his contract at Everton and has been told by Koeman that he must sign a new contract or he will be sold this summer. Tottenham are reportedly monitoring his situation.
A move to Tottenham would seem like a decent one on paper. However, the England international would face a tough task getting into Spurs starting line-up next season.
In truth, it seems that the majority of Evertonian’s have lost patience with the inconsistent midfielder. The Wavertree-born star leaving the club will not be the end of the world.
Lukaku can definitely get a job as an after dinner speaker when he finishes his football career, as he loves to talk. For years, he has talked about playing Champions League football. He may soon get Champions League football next season, but with another club.
If Barkley and Lukaku leave, then the Toffees will have to find replacements. Some will say that Everton already have a replacement for Barkley in Klaassen. The prospective signing of Sandro is unlikely to be the Toffees last forward signing of the summer, though.
Lukaku scored 25 goals in the Premier League last season. However, even without his goals, the Toffees would still have finished seventh place in the English top-flight.
Koeman has talked about signing players with greater productivity this summer. Klaassen is much more a Koeman player than Barkley is, while Sandro will put in the hard yards to press high up the pitch, an aspect of Lukaku’s game that has come in for heavy criticism.
Lukaku will move on
Romelu Lukaku now looks destined to move on this summer. Former club Chelsea are red-hot favourites to sign the Belgian striker this summer at odds of 3/10, with Manchester United also reportedly in the running to sign the striker.
It will be a shame for the striker to leave Everton just as it seems the Toffees are showing big ambition by their recent standards in the transfer market.
No doubt, Everton will have a better squad all around next season. Whether they have a better chance of Champions League football depends on what happens at the top-six clubs this summer.
If the Toffees would have shown this sort of ambition last summer then Lukaku may have stayed. However, the big striker may just have used a lack of ambition as an excuse to leave the club that has helped develop him into one of the league’s top strikers.
Should Romelu Lukaku consider staying at Everton?
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