Why this signing will come as a welcome relief for Chelsea:

Chelsea this weekend confirmed they have agreed a fee with Belgian club Anderlecht for their promising teenage striker Romelu Lukaku, a player who has been admired by nearly every top European club.

So why is it Chelsea have agreed to pay in the region of £18-£20m for a man who has made just 73 senior appearances for the Purple and White? It may have something to do with the fact he has a goal ratio of 1 in every two games and at 6ft 3” he certainly comes across as an opposing figure.

The player has now arrived in London to go through a medical and agree personal terms before joining Andre Villas-boas’ Chelsea squad ahead of the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Even at the tender age of just 18 he has shown a huge amount of potential and if the rumours are to be believed the likes of Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Arsenal were all interested in securing his services. He’s very much in the mould of Didier Drogba and is perhaps viewed as a long-term replacement for the Ivorian at Stamford Bridge.

In the early part of his career Lukaku demonstrated that he had an eye for goal, he spent two years with Lierse between 2004 and 2006, in that time he played 68 games for their youth team scoring  a staggering 121 goals.

Though following Lierse relegation for the Belgian first division Anderlecht saw their opportunity and signed Lukaku along with 12 other youth team players. It proved to be a shrewd piece of business as in three years as a youth team player at the club Lukaku scored 131 goals in 93 games.

Seeing these figures it is no wonder that Chelsea have spent such a vast amount of money to secure his services. Some have suggested that the player may be sent out on loan once the deal is completed, like fellow Belgian Thibaut Courtois who was signed from Genk then immediately sent on loan to Atletico Madrid, but Lukaku is said to be against this idea.

With a now aging squad at Stamford Bridge Villas-boas will be focusing on the future and looking to life after Drogba, Anelka, and Lampard and attempting to blood youngsters and make sure the team is strong enough to challenge for major honours in the long-term.

Having already missed out on the likes of Javier Pastore and Luka Modric more than likely to stay at Spurs the Lukaku signing will come as a welcome relief and one that will also add great excitement to the Blues forward line.

Some may believe he is too young to make an impact but having already played two full seasons in the Belgian first division, as well as experiencing Champions League football and not to mention his nine international caps he seems more than ready for this test.

Lukaku will surely now have the chance to show what he can do on a major European stage and also challenge for major honours with Chelsea, a team that when in the youth team at Anderlecht he claimed to love. Villas-boas has managed to secure one of the most exciting talents in world football so Premiership defenders beware.

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