Romelu Lukaku admits Serie A is ‘tactically and technically a better league, but here in England, it’s all about the intensity’ after leaving Inter for Chelsea.
The Belgium international has completed his €115m transfer to Stamford Bridge, a club he already joined 10 years ago from Anderlecht.
Inter have essentially dismantled the side that won the Scudetto in May, selling Achraf Hakimi to PSG and parting company with coach Antonio Conte.
“I don’t really talk about my personal ambitions but they lean with the club’s ambitions. That’s why I came back,” Lukaku told the official club website.
“Chelsea wants to keep winning, keep growing as a club and really dominate in England and Europe. That’s something that I wanted and I’m here now so it’s up to me to help the team achieve its potential.”
Lukaku found the form of his life at Inter, scoring 64 goals in just 95 competitive appearances, along with 16 assists.
Now that he has experienced both Serie A and the Premier League, how does he compare the two?
“Italy is tactically and technically a better league but here in England, it’s all about the intensity. That’s what makes the difference, but it’s no problem for me because I’ve been here for eight years and I know what it’s all about.
“It’s not like I’m a new player coming in and not quite knowing what to expect. I know the league, I’ve scored a fair amount of goals here, but the past is the past and now we have to look forward.”
The 28-year-old won’t deny he learned a great deal from his two years in Serie A, a particularly tough league for a striker to get goals in.
“I’m a new version of that player from before. I’ve evolved and the team that I’m joining is a very strong team so now we just have to prove it on the pitch by challenging for the Premier League.”
With the €115m transfer, Lukaku became the most expensive ever player to be sold by a Serie A team.