Chelsea striker Diego Costa looks set to leave the club, leaving the door open to the arrive of Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku’s situation at Everton took a very definitely twist earlier this week when the Belgian international stated that he knew which club he would be joining this summer.
Speculation has been rife that he would return to former club Chelsea this summer.
However, a move to the Blues seemed unlikely, as Spanish international Diego Costa was already at the club and undisputed first choice striker.
There has also been talk of Costa moving on since the January transfer window. Now he has revealed that boss Antonio Conte has told him that he does feature in the Italian’s plans.
Told by text message he can leave
Costa is quoted by the Guardian as saying “My relationship with the coach has been bad this season. I suppose I’ve had a bad season so I can’t go on,”
“I’m going, to be honest, the other day Conte sent me a message saying he does not count on me for next season, so I’ll have to find a way out.
Asked about a move back to Atletico Madrid he continued by saying “I love living in Madrid, but I have to think about my future. It’s complicated because I cannot go four or five months without playing. I have no preference for a league, I just want to play.”
This is unlikely to come as a surprise to many, as Costa has never reaffirmed his commitment to Chelsea in the last few months. The fiery striker potentially leaving the club leaves the door open for Lukaku, who is now odds of 1/3 to join the English champions.
A return to Chelsea makes sense
Returning to Chelsea makes sense for the striker. He had grown up as a Chelsea fan and seems to have unfinished business at Stamford Bridge. The Blues can offer him the chance to win big trophies. They can also offer him the chance to play Champions League football, something, unfortunately, Everton cannot at the moment.
The striker has constantly stated that he wants Champions League football. It seems to have become something of an obsession for the headstrong striker.
At 24-years-old he has scored a lot of goals at Everton. Despite still having flaws in his game, Lukaku is likely to score goals wherever he goes.
One of Lukaku’s main weaknesses is holding the ball up, while Costa is a master of the art. Both Chelsea and Lukaku would have to adapt slightly if the big striker did return to Stamford Bridge.
The striker would no doubt be a good replacement for Costa. However, he is a different sort of striker to the adopted-Spaniard. At Everton, they play to Lukaku’s strengths at times to get the best out of him.
It will be interesting to see Lukaku at Chelsea, just to see if he can kick it with the big boys in the Champions League.
Everton will miss Lukaku
Everton will no doubt miss his goals next season. I mean how do you replace a striker that scores 25 in a season? I read an interesting stat somewhere that the Toffees would have still finished seventh in the Premier League without the striker’s goals last season.
Although Lukaku is a big player for Everton, in every sense of the word, it may not be a disaster if Lukaku moves on this summer. The striker has been agitating for a move for quite some time. The striker’s attitude has started to grate on a lot of the Everton support.
The Toffees fans will miss his goals when he does finally move on. However, they are unlikely to miss the speculation and constant speculation that surrounds Lukaku every transfer window.
Everton are unlikely to sell the striker on the cheap this summer either. No doubt the striker’s sale will give the Merseysiders a big profit on the £28million they paid Chelsea for Lukaku back in 2014. Everton will move on and find a replacement. No doubt they will enjoy another solid season under the wily Ronald Koeman.
Hopefully, this deal will work out well for Chelsea and Lukaku. The striker will now get his chance to play at the level he wants. I just hope he can live up to expectations or he will look very silly having talked about his Champions League quality for so long.
Would Romelu Lukaku be a good replacement for Diego Costa?
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