Romelu Lukaku’s recent controversial interview has impacted his relationship with coach Thomas Tuchel, but how well has he gotten on with his previous coaches?
The Belgian forward’s first season in West London saw him mostly feature for Chelsea’s reserves, although he briefly made a few first team appearances in the latter half of the season. Upon winning the Champions League, however, he refused to hold the trophy, unhappy with his limited involvement and lack of regular playing time.
A successful season on loan with West Brom followed under Steve Clarke, but he failed to make a good impression with Jose Mourinho upon his return to the English capital. A missed penalty in the UEFA Super Cup final against Bayern Munich upset the Portuguese coach, especially considering his demands for more playing time at the start of the 2013/14 season. He was then quickly loaned out to Everton.
His time with Everton was a success – first playing under Roberto Martinez before Ronald Koeman took over – and a big money move to Manchester United followed, where he re-found Mourinho, who felt that he was a player who needed love and support in order to thrive.
His successor Ole Gunnar Solskjær also had a tough relationship with Lukaku, feeling that the player was a little egotistical. He was tired of the Belgian’s constant demands for more playing time and eventually their difficult relationship saw him shipped out to Inter. Following his move, he highlighted that he felt like he was blamed for the team’s issues up front and poor results.
Lukaku had a stronger relationship with Antonio Conte at Inter, although the Italian coach again noted his need for a supportive environment and positive reinforcement. The former Juventus and Italy coach did manage to get the best out of Lukaku though, with the Belgian being decisive in their Scudetto run last season.
After only four months in West London, Lukaku now has caused a fracture with coach Tuchel. His recent controversial interview with Sky Sports has caused waves in the English capital, with the German coach unhappy with the noise and drama stemming from the interview.
A decisive meeting today will take place, but it’s clear that things are now a little stormy in the Chelsea camp, especially considering that he was dropped from the match against Liverpool yesterday.
In fairness to Lukaku – the one constant throughout his career is his demand for playing time. Jose wanted to keep him at Chelsea but could not guarantee him playing time. He will expect to play constantly wherever he goes in the future also.
He is in his prime and is very good – theres only a few strikers better than him. Of course he wants to play