Never in the field of human football was so much spent by so many on so little.
Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea
- Thread starter RDCR07
- Start date
There's something very severe about signing a player for £100m and then getting rid of said player as soon as possible a year later due to how disastrously bad it went (on a cut-price loan no less, to the same club originally purchased from). At least with Pogba we experienced middling success and his talent was never in question - there's a strong argument that we failed him as a club just as much as he failed us (not the place to get into that, though!).
Also, a player leaving on a free at the end of their contract is not necessarily an indictment of a bad transfer. It's not ideal but it's pretty common nowadays.
Also, a player leaving on a free at the end of their contract is not necessarily an indictment of a bad transfer. It's not ideal but it's pretty common nowadays.
Yeah I don't think it's comparable with Pogba.
I think the best comparison with both clubs (in terms of fee:ability ratio) would be Maguire.
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Maguire has given us good periods, he isn't worth his transfer fee but it's not a player that United should get rid of. At this point we are in Hazard, Coutinho territory with Lukaku.
Lukaku was literally found out after the City and Juve matches - and that was in September, less than 2 months after signing. You had fans thinking he was a changed man before those 2 matches happened. Sure Pogba was poor but he wasn't as poor as Lukaku's been.
It’s definitely the worst. For the price, for the exit, but also for the interview and the disruption it caused in such a short amount of time.
To have to call it curtains after only a matter of months and then to be forced to loan him to the club you just bought him for for a pittance. The details of this one definitely make it the worst PL transfer of all time.
To have to call it curtains after only a matter of months and then to be forced to loan him to the club you just bought him for for a pittance. The details of this one definitely make it the worst PL transfer of all time.
Done deal, 8 million € + bonus
#RomBack
Did Tuchel really want him? Without watching Chelsea play, I had a sense that he dropped him way too early without trying to make it work. Bizzare transfer.
What an absolutely atrocious signing from Chelsea 
£100m
£100mI never bought that he was this "New Lukaku" who had completely changed in Italy (mainly due to the fact that he showed some of his old traits in the Euros where I watched all his matches for gambling reasons) but its amazing how quickly this transfer went to shit after his debut vs Arsenal.
I hope Chelsea get half the criticism we got when we sold him.
Mental now many flop strikers they’ve had.
I think Tuchel wanted Haaland but this was before his small release clause was available so he would’ve cost £150m or more plus mega wages. So he wasn’t possible. Like this summer, there was an extreme shortage of top strikers. So when our board came to Tuchel and said “what about Lukaku?” I think he said “sure, why not.” That’s the only logical explanation I can come up with.
Kudos to @Dancfc , the only Chelsea fan who were relatively clear-eyed about this shit show of a transfer.
This guy is an absolute fraud. Was seen kissing the Chelsea badge when he arrived and now this. Believed his own hype and thought he's a world class striker and should be considered amongst the best.
He'd win a ballon d'or if the game was about pointing fingers and giving thumps up.
He'd win a ballon d'or if the game was about pointing fingers and giving thumps up.
Soemtimes transfers dont work out and you have to cut your losses. Ive been at jobs myself that havent worked out the way it was meant to, taking a paycut for a better prospect to only find out I was better off were I was at previously. Needless to say I wouldnt go crawling back to a previous job unless it was something really special
You have to be out of your mind to call Pogba a worse signing than Lukaku.
It is strange. Sheva, Mutu, Torres, Kezman, Falcao, Higuain and Pato although only loans, Pizarro, Morata even though he started really well, Remy, Batshuayi, Although I do not include Crespo in the list. Best finisher ive seen at the Bridge by a distance. I think he also had the best minutes to goals ratio in prem history, didnt he? May have been surpassed now though
Drogba, Eto'o, Costa, Ba, Crespo all did ok IMO.
We’ve been world class at signing defenders and keepers but have been one of, if not the worst at signing strikers and wingers.
Hopefully once we appoint a new Director of Football under this new owner things will change. No more owner/board signings. Let the football people make decisions.
Yes, very few poor GK [Sullivan and Turnbull aside, Kepa for the money too] or defenders once we sign them, but attackers, really poor.
We've been needing a proper DoF for a long time. I wonder if Cech may step up
Remember early in the season he bullied Arsenal / Ben White and everyone was raving about him being a top quality signing and the difference maker for Chelsea…
Running back to Italy for €8 million
Running back to Italy for €8 million
What an absolutely atrocious signing from Chelsea
Worst ever.
He turned up thin and shredded physically. He looked like the lean, aggressive Lukaku from Inter in those early days. Was awesome in that game against Arsenal you mentioned and I remember him scoring a few other fantastic goals early on.Remember early in the season he bullied Arsenal / Ben White and everyone was raving about him being a top quality signing and the difference maker for Chelsea…
Running back to Italy for €8 million
Then by the end of the season he morphed back into the United Lukaku. Chubby, slow, low effort. He just decided to give up.
Hope he crushes it once again at Inter, btw. There will absolutely be a market for him if he returns to his previous Serie A form.
Inter could decide to buy him permanently, someone like Atleti are always buying strikers, etc. We’re never getting all our money back but I don’t think something like €40-50m is out of the question next summer if he scores 25+ goals for example.
Inter could decide to buy him permanently, someone like Atleti are always buying strikers, etc. We’re never getting all our money back but I don’t think something like €40-50m is out of the question next summer if he scores 25+ goals for example.
Can't wait for the interviews once this is actually finalised, from both Chelsea's side and Lukaku's 
You’d have to be out of your mind to call any signing in the history of the league a worse signing than Lukaku.
World class at signing keepers? Kepa?
That’s one (really bad) dud. Cech, Courtois, Mendy. Even some of our backup keepers have been very solid like Begovic and Willy Cabballero.
I dunno I'll give you Cech but a good keeper is one that's there for ages IMO not only a few seasons like Courtois was and Mendy I still feel could be improved (don't get me wrong he's been good)
Pogba joined a very poor United side who didn't even quality for the CL, Lukaku joined a CL winner team.
People get mad a Pogba because they expected him to carry a very poor United side who has been badly coached for 10 years, and he never did.
And United has been the poorest team Pogba has ever played for in his career until now, France NT and Juventus with Marchisio,Pirlo,Vidal, Chiellini,Bonucci,Buffon,Cuadrado,etc are better teams than United from 2013 till now.
Plus he had a shit attitude.
Underperforming in a very good team will always be worse than underperforming in very poor side.
Surely we deserve some credit for spotting Courtois when he was at Genk in Belgium though, given that he's now indisputably a top 3-5 GK in world football (and was pushing that level during his latter years at Chelsea). If anything that should be a bonus for our scouting team which generally has a very decent track record of signing goalkeepers?
So 10m x 2 in loan fees and then 30m transfer fee? He’ll be 31 by then. Recouping half of the initial fee from this low leverage position would be great.
€8m x 2. About £6.8m x 2.
Well I’m hoping he does well enough to trigger the €4m add-ons - €12m = £10m.
I’m talking best case scenario here. I know the fees could be lower and I know there’s a chance no one wants to buy Lukaku at £30m in 2024.
Are we talking just Roman era? If not, Cudicini for 160k is right up there, was superb for prior to Cech joining.
One of the worst big game strikers of all time.
Maybe the worst.
Whenever it's an important match and you need him to step up he never does.
Maybe the worst.
Whenever it's an important match and you need him to step up he never does.
It's a catch 22 because in one sense I can't wait until he throws Inter under the bus aswell but at the same time it's would resemble the last chance of getting something resembling a decent fee flying out of the window
It's a catch 22 because in one sense I can't wait until he throws Inter under the bus aswell but at the same time it's would resemble the last chance of getting something resembling a decent fee flying out of the window
Alternatively, you could enjoy his season no matter what. Find joy in his misery, if he falls flat on his face and causes chaos in their dressing room. Or silently be happy that he’s making himself look appealing to potential buyers, if he hits the ground running