Thomas Tuchel: Lukaku returned to Chelsea in a club-record transfer worth £97.5 million (€115 million) the previous summer. This made him the seventh-most expensive player, the most expensive Belgian player.
Things, however, have not panned out how both the club and the player expected things to be as the Belgian has scored just five goals in twenty league appearances.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, however, is reluctant to give up on the 28 year old who is still optimistic on his striker.
“It is pride for me and it should hopefully also be pride for him (Lukaku) and it is I guess,” Tuchel said.
“This is how we feel, we feel things getting personal then if we don’t get it right and I feel it with any player. If we cannot get the best out of a player for the team it feels, personally for me I feel it and I don’t want to have that feeling so.
“You never give up on players, you never give in, and I think Romelu is such a competitor that he feels the same and he behaves in the same way.
“All he needs is that spark. He maybe would’ve been a natural starter against Crystal Palace given the minutes Kai (Havertz) has played.
“But after a period of injury he lacked the fitness for matches. I don’t point the finger at him, it’s just a fact… Romelu should have had a goal against Real Madrid and Crystal Palace, but if he plays we need all that he has.”
