COMMENT: Chelsea should forget Lewandowski and focus on Lukaku
Why Chelsea should ignore Robert Lewandowski links and focus on getting the best out of 100 million striker Romelu Lukaku.
Why Chelsea should ignore Robert Lewandowski links and focus on getting the best out of 100 million striker Romelu Lukaku.
Bayern Munich star striker Robert Lewandowski has publicly spoken of his intentions to leave the club in search of a new challenge which has understandably sparked transfer speculation.
And with just one year left on his current contract in Germany, Bayern may well look to cash in on the 33-year old now rather than lose him for free next summer.
But the problem here is that Chelsea spent just over £98 million on a marquee striker last summer and going after Lewandowski could send the wrong message.
ALSO READ
5 types of people you only see in betting shops
How Arsenal can still qualify for the Champions League
Why Bundesliga player of the season Nkunku would flop at Manchester United
Lewandowski or Lukaku?
Romelu Lukaku’s first season at Chelsea has not gone according to plan at all, having registered just 15 goals in 43 games across all competitions.
His off-field actions have not helped ease the frustration of his inability to live up to on-field expectations either as he drove a wedge between himself and the Chelsea fans with his comments.
It’s no surprise that fans want him gone, especially if his replacement is Lewandowski who is legitimately one of the greatest strikers of all time.
Lewandowski just finished the season with 50 goals in 46 games across all competitions for Bayern Munich which makes this look like a no-brainer but it is not.
Lewandowski is not worth it
As great as he is, Robert Lewandowski will be 34 years old this summer which already indicates that he isn’t a long-term option for any team that signs him.
That would not be an issue for a team who don’t have a recognisable striker like Barcelona, another club who have been linked with Lewandowski.
They can just sign him, use him for as long as he’s still good and then replace him with a younger striker when he can no longer produce.
But Chelsea can’t do that because they already have their striker with four years left on his deal, signing Lewandowski would mean the club is ready to give up on Lewandoski.
Which begs the question, why give up on a 28-year old £100 million striker to sign a 34-year old with no more than two more good years to offer?
Lukaku can still come good
Instead of paying massive wages to bring Lewandowski to a league he’s never played in and hoping he does enough to justify it in a short period of time, Chelsea are better off betting on Lukaku.
The Blues paid a massive premium to sign Lukaku and it would be foolhardy to write him off completely after just one season.
Chelsea needs to be more intentional about reaping the full benefits of their Lukaku investment which means surrounding him with all the right pieces to succeed and actually playing to his strengths.
Signing Lewandowski is the opposite of a vote of confidence in Lukaku and would ultimately prove to be a mistake for Chelsea.
