Since he shone in his first season as a professional at Anderlecht in 2009/10, Romelu Lukaku has been linked at some point with the majority of the major clubs in Europe. Chelsea appeared to be leading the way to sign the 18 year old Belgian this summer, with an agreement thought to be close to completion. But the speculation continues and recent rumours are that Arsenal may be considering hi-jacking the deal after Chelsea have reportedly cooled their interest. But is this youngster the real deal and can he prove to be a shrewd buy for one of these English teams or is he overrated?
It seems necessary these days to compare a young talent to a more accomplished world-class player, and this is no different with Lukaku. Touted as ‘The new Drogba’, a phrase which a fair few people will surely be tired of by now, Romelu is a big presence at the top of the Anderlecht attack. He is incredibly strong and tall for his age at 6ft 3′ with pace and power in abundance, which would undoubtedly be useful in the Premiership. Admittedly, it is rare for someone so tall and well built to be extremely agile and quick on the ball, but this has to be matched with technique and control. I’m not sure that Lukaku’s game is rounded enough to be introduced to the premiership this season.
He plays the majority of games for Anderlecht up front on his own, relying on long balls as service and having to win aerial battles scrapping for the ball using his strength and power to engineer chances. I’m not denying that he isn’t a goalscorer, as he has proven to be a composed and clinical finisher on numerous occasions in the Belgian League, but I just don’t think he is used to the style of football played in the Premiership. To step up, Lukaku would have to show the touch, movement and control that are required to instigate and continue attacking moves against well organised quality defenders.
First of all, at the beginning of the summer, I could see why Chelsea had such an interest in this talented striker. But when you consider the return of Sturridge to the club after a highly successful spell on loan at Bolton, and the ever-increasing chances the Drogba and Anelka will stay at the club, it is hard to see the justification now. At a price reported to be close to £20million, this is potentially two thirds of the price of a world class midfielder that Chelsea could invest on either a creative midfielder or one to cover for Essien during his lengthy time out due to injury. It’s not as though Romelu is a hot prospect that teams can afford to take a gamble on at around £5-10million, a £20million long-term gamble is bordering on too much for any club.
If there is truth in the rumours of Arsenal’s interest in Lukaku, this seems even more baffling to me considering the fact that they often play one striker through the middle and had to leave Chamakh on the bench for the second half of the season due to Van Persie’s scintillating form. With Bendtner, Chamakh, Vela, Miyaichi back from loan and now Gervinho, it seems like Lukaku would face stiff competition and struggle to get a start for the Gunners.
I can’t help but think that Lukaku is not ready to step up to such a new competitive League and justify the price tag Anderlecht place on him yet. He is a prime example of a young player who really needs to hone his skills and develop his technical ability before being thrown in at the deep end. This probably means moving away from the Belgian League where he is playing the long-ball rough and ready style of football to a bigger club elsewhere. But I think that the heights of Chelsea and Arsenal are a bit too much too soon for someone who is more than good enough to be playing regular football somewhere to progress his career and fulfil his great potential.
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