Romelu Lukaku is struggling at Chelsea and Inter have already managed to replace him, as Edin Dzeko has stepped up to fill the void left by the Belgian.
Inter fans feared the farewell of Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi and Antonio Conte over the summer would lead to a decline at San Siro, but Simone Inzaghi’s men continue to push for glory.
The Nerazzurri have managed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in 10 years and the Bosnia international, Dzeko, has played a vital role in the success.
Dzeko arrived from Roma to replace the Belgium international and made an immediate impact on the Inter attack.
Inter sit second in Serie A, one point behind leaders Milan, and are already through to the last 16 of the Champions League with one game remaining in the group stage.
Inzaghi’s men play for the top spot at the Santiago Bernabeu today, with Real Madrid first and already qualified too.
Dzeko has scored three times in five Champions League games, while contributing eight in 16 Serie A matches.
The Bosnian went six games without scoring until he scored in the 3-0 win over Roma last time, but had scored seven in the first nine prior to that run.
Dzeko has created a great partnership with Lautaro Martinez at Inter and is set to start against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital tonight.
Lukaku was on stellar form with the Nerazzurri during his two years in Serie A, contributing 64 goals in 95 competitive games, helping the side to the Europa League Final in his first campaign, before clinching the Scudetto in 2020-21.
The 28-year-old returned to Chelsea ahead of the current season and Inter decided to cash in after the Belgian personally requested a move back to London.
But his contributions at Chelsea has not been the same, as Lukaku has struggled in front of goal since returning to Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku, who suffered an injury and missed four games with the Blues, has not scored in his last seven appearances in the Premier League.
Edin Dzeko stats at Inter in 2021-22:
Total – Games/Goals/Assists: 21/11/4
Serie A – 16/8/3
Champions League – 5/3/1
Romelu Lukaku stats at Chelsea in 2021-22:
Total – Games/Goals/Assists: 14/4/1
Premier League – 10/3/0
Champions League – 3/1/1
League Cup – 1/0/0
Clearly the grass has been greener in Milano after Lukaku left.
Edin has had a pretty legendary career in Italy. A scudetto would be the icing on the cake for him.
Who’s Lukaku?
I’m a Juve fan, but I have to give credit to Inter’s current transfer strategy. Getting Dzeko was a master stroke, and they are also nurturing young Italian talent. Juve allowed the CR7 transfer to consume them. They devoted everything to him and let him become bigger than the club. Marotta knew this and that’s why he left. Good for him. He did the right thing. I have actually found myself rooting for Inter on more than one occasion this season, because they have become a likeable team again. I’m just glad Conte is no longer there, because I could not stomach that….!
One of the more underrated forwards in the world