Chelsea’s players believe teammate would’ve hit 20 goals last season, but Tuchel got rid of him

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Chelsea players believe Romelu Lukaku would have been a huge success in the 2022/23 campaign had he stayed at Stamford Bridge.

That is according to journalist Dean Jones.

So, what was said about Romelu Lukaku and Chelsea in full? Let’s take a look…

What’s the story?

Well, it was Thomas Tuchel who sent the Belgium international back to Inter Milan on loan in June 2022.

Lukaku returned to Italy after struggling in his first season back at Chelsea, scoring just eight goals in 26 Premier League appearances throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

However, there is a feeling among Chelsea’s current group of players that the 30-year-old would have scored at least 20 goals had he stayed for the 2022/23 season.

Jones told Give Me Sport: “If Lukaku had been playing for Chelsea this season, he would have scored 20 goals. There is a genuine belief in the squad that the deliveries and the types of chances teed up have been fine.

“They’ve been creative. They just haven’t had a goalscorer, and Lukaku could have converted the chances that were there.”

The Belgian ended up scoring 14 goals in 37 appearances in the 2022/23 campaign for an Inter Milan side who reached the UEFA Champions League final, finished third in Serie A and also won the Coppa Italia.

Therefore, we doubt Lukaku would have scored six more goals playing for a Chelsea side who finished 12th in the Premier League.

Lukaku looks set to leave Chelsea

Whether some think Lukaku could still succeed at Chelsea or not, he now looks set to leave.

The Antwerp-born striker held talks with representatives from Al-Hilal regarding a £16m-a-year offer to move to Saudi Arabia, according to the Evening Standard.

While Lukaku is considering the offer, it is said that he would prefer to stay in Italy with Inter Milan.

Whatever happens, it seems that staying at Chelsea is not among Lukaku’s preferred options, so a sale looks likely as the Blues attempt to offload fringe players.