25 April 2023 , 22:54
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Mauricio Pochettino may soon be replacing Graham Potter as manager as Chelsea but he'll be backing his predecessor's decision over striker Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian striker returned to the club in August 2021 after signing from Inter Milan for a £97.5 million fee, but underwhelmed under Thomas Tuchel. After scoring just eight times in the Premier League, and then falling out with the German boss, he was shipped back to Inter on loan, having previously irked fans at Stamford Bridge by publicly expressing how much he missed life at the San Siro.
But letting Lukaku now seemingly appeared a farcical decision from the club after Tuchel was sacked, with Potter then coming in and promptly casting aside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It left the club without a recognised striker for the bulk of the season, a notion all too evident in their recent Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid.
Lukaku's latest stint in Italy is unlikely to be extended though, after managing just five league goals in a 19 starts amid an injury plagued season. And his future will soon lie in the hands of Pochettino, with the former Spurs and PSG man close to being confirmed as the new Chelsea boss.
Prior to being dismissed this month, Potter was reportedly keen to embrace Lukaku returning to the first team squad this summer, with three years still left on his Chelsea contract. And now the has reported that Pochetinno shares the same belief in Belgium's record goalscorer.
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The Argentine is keen to give Lukaku a 'lifeline' as he prepares to try and rebuild matters following a chaotic campaign. Lukaku has 121 Premier League goals to his name for West Brom, Everton, Manchester United, and Chelsea, and is the most expensive player of all time in terms of cumulative transfer fees.
Pochetinno is yet to be officially confirmed at Stamford Bridge, but a deal is nearing with the two parties now finalising personal terms. And sorting out the squad's issues in attack with be one of his priorities with Kai Havertz currently struggling in an unfamiliar lone striker role.
But it isn't only Lukaku's future that the new man will have to swiftly address. The club are currently in talks with Mason Mount in a bid to fend off transfer interest, with Liverpool and United currently monitoring the situation with interest.
There are fears that the academy graduate has played his last game for Chelsea, and interim boss Frank Lampard confirmed he would miss the remainder of the season. The 24-year-old has a pelvic problem which requires surgery.