The whole thing doesn't sit right with me. The Star this morning claims Chelsea were 'never serious players' in the transfer, but merely keen to demonstrate to the manager their credentials as potential big spenders. This could be Stamford Bridge briefing like mad, but we're told they matched United's bid in every particular except the agent's fee, which they refused to provide for, although £10M is hardly enormous by modern standards. Players are easily influenced. Chelsea must have known that in the modern game you pay agents' fees or you don't get the player. Penny-wise and pound foolish? I'd ask a more cynical question: why submit a bid one might think was almost designed to fail?
Robbie Fowler has said the deal smacks [and who knows more about smack than R. Fowler esq.?] of last minute desperation. I'm not sure he's wrong [put aside the obvious objections and Fowler's links to Liverpool]. I too don't get why he would take up again with a player he sold because he 'wasn't ready' to lead the line at Chelsea yet who retains many of the faults that caused his departure in the first place [scoring when the team is all ready in front or on top; drifting in and out of play as if his mind's elsewhere; indifferent record against top clubs (it's goals against the bottom feeders than determine the destination of the title I realise but if Lukaku's ambitions to be the best in the world aren't just talk he has to sort that part of his game out and fast]. Jose believes he can turn base metal into gold perhaps, and good luck to him. I remain to be convinced.
I'm probably wrong but something doesn't feel kosher about this.
