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To perfect man to fill Didier Drogba’s big boots?

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After Didier Drogba slotted home a match-winning penalty against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, it would turn out to be his last in a Chelsea shirt. He made history by helping the Blues win the trophy for the first time, but now the legendary Chelsea striker has announced his decision to leave the club this summer after a sparkling career, but who can replace such a force?

Before Chelsea scout the finest strikers across Europe this summer and prepare to lambast the transfer market with millions and millions, they should take a look at one of their brightest young talents at the club, a player who is ready to step up and be unleashed on the Premier League, that man’s name is Romelu Lukaku.

The 19-year-old has become a bit of a forgotten man at Chelsea since signing for the Blues in August 2011 for an initial fee of £11 million pounds rising to £20million. Only featuring in Carling Cup games and making a late cameo in league matches. The striker should be given a chance to shine in the upcoming season after being thrown into the reserves by former Blues boss Andre Villas- Boas, a move which Lukaku can never forgive him for.

Despite the youngster playing in the reserves he has impressed this season, scoring on his debut and starting nine games and netting seven goals, making him the top goal scorer in the team, but it’s his incredible record prior to moving to Chelsea that is astonishing.

He wasn’t even out of his secondary school uniform and he found himself playing in front of 26,000 fans for Anderlecht, and he made his young face known in Belgium and across Europe after impressing at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.

Before his 17th birthday he was given his international debut against Croatia, and currently has 15 caps to his name scoring twice. Not many 19-year-olds have that on their CV, and in his last season at Anderlecht he scored 17 goals in 37 starts. Imagine what he will be like at 25! The potential is astronomical in this man.

I am sure people will say you have spent too much time on Football Manager and that you know nothing about him, which is isn’t 100% true. From the times I have seen him play the similarities to Drogba is frightening.

Ironically, he has been dubbed “the new Drogba” by parts of the Belgian media and the attributes are uncanny. Both strikers are physically impressive, with Lukaku a force to be reckoned with in the air with a 6ft 4 frame and 14 stone of muscle, while also being quick for a big man, and Lukaku himself has admitted idolising the Ivorian striker growing up.

From posters on his wall in his native home of Brussels to the football jersey’s with Drogba on the back. He grew up wanting to play for Chelsea and wanting to be like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Drogba, but the time now is to go from sitting next to him in the changing room to spearheading the Chelsea attack and fulfilling his potential.

Despite being left out of the squad in the Champions League final, the future of the striker looks promising. With only Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres the only other first team strikers on their books, there is now room for another striker to break into the starting eleven.

Sturridge and Torres have hardly been prolific this season, with Sturridge starting off really well but fading out towards the season. Whereas Torres, well, everybody knows how poor he has been this season, although showing signs of his former self late in the season. The point is it does take time for players to adapt to the Premier League, and given the chance don’t be surprised to hear his name ringing out at Stamford Bridge as the goals fly in for him.

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