Romelu Lukaku admitted that he had kept an eye on Chelsea even before joining the club this summer and was impressed by the number of chances this team created.
In terms of creating chances, Chelsea ranked third in the Premier League last season, averaging 11.8 key passes per game (Opta via Whoscored).
That is just slightly behind Liverpool and Manchester City’s average of 12 per game.
Mason Mount averaged most key passes per game at Chelsea (2.4) last season, but they also have plenty of other playmakers such as Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, and even the likes of Reece James and Ben Chilwell from wide areas.
While Chelsea clearly had some issues converting these chances into goals last season, Lukaku seems to be excited about potentially being the target of these passes.
“Everyone,” the Belgium international told Chelsea TV when asked which Blues teammates he is looking forward to playing with the most.
“To be honest, the team is so talented. It’s ridiculous.
“I’ve seen the games they’ve played in the last three months. To see the positions that they [got into] and the chances they created, it’s great for a striker.
“So I’m looking forward to playing with everyone.
“Because the thing about me is that whatever the coach asks from me; if he wants me to be a focal point or to run behind, I can adapt.”
Chronicle view
Lukaku is certainly not the only one excited about getting these passes, since the playmakers around him will now have a proven goalscorer as a target.
The Blues underperformed their expected goals metric (xG) last season, according to Statsbomb (via FBref). They were the fourth-worst team in the league in this department.
Lukaku, on the other hand, has outperformed his xG metrics in each of the last four seasons (via FBref).
This illustrates his clinical finishing, and that is exactly what this Chelsea side needs.
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