Romelu Lukaku’s situation at Chelsea has “got out of hand” and he needs a good run of form with goals to turn things around.
That’s according to the man who ‘launched’ his career at Anderlecht, Ariel Jacobs, who backs the Belgian striker to handle the pressure currently on him.
Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge in a £100m plus deal from Inter Milan in the summer to much fanfare after two very impressive years with the Serie A side.
The belief was that he was ready to be the elite level striker that Chelsea needed and it appeared that would be the case at the beginning of the season when he started in superb form.
There has been a steady decline since then, though, with the striker having a very public fallout with Thomas Tuchel and then receiving the ire of Blues fans when he publicly shared his love for Inter in an interview in Italy.
He’s found himself on the sidelines since that point, with Kai Havertz preferred up front and Lukaku forced to watch on from the bench.
Even when given a chance, he’s been unable to impress, with several lacklustre performances in recent weeks and fierce debate about whether he actually fits into Chelsea’s system under Tuchel.
Jacobs certainly thinks things have gotten out of hand but has backed his former protégé to prove the doubters wrong if given the chance.
“It has gone off the rails. The situation has got out of hand,” he told Het Nieuwsblad, relayed by Voetbal Primeur.
“In that sense, I could understand Tuchel’s decision, but if it really had an effect? In the next games, all eyes will be on Romelu again.
“The only thing that can really turn the tide is a good run of games. With lots of goals. But give Romelu a decent chance, and he’ll also hit the back of the net.
“Did I make the right choice? It is inevitable that Romelu asks himself that question these days. But on the other hand, he is mentally very strong.
“And he is a top striker. Someone like that always comes back on top. Also, at Chelsea, yes: Romelu can handle that kind of football, I’m convinced of that.”
