“Melancholy and nostalgia” – Player not shocked about surprising Chelsea deal, ‘well-being always takes over’

Bought back by Chelsea in a £100m+ deal last year, Romelu Lukaku’s time at Stamford Bridge went about as well as his first spell there.

The Belgian, despite initially doing well, failed to have a long-term impact over the course of the season, and ended up sitting down for an interview with Sky Italia in December to explain how unhappy he was at Stamford Bridge.

His relationship with Thomas Tuchel was then fractured beyond repair, and while the German manager did use him going forward at Chelsea, it always felt like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

That’s why when the opportunity for a return to Inter emerged, both the Serie A side and the player went for it, with a loan being sorted, which is widely expected to turn into something more permanent down the line.

While his Chelsea exit might have been surprising for some, it wasn’t for Samir Handanovic, who explained as much in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday.

He said: “I saw how he was at Chelsea. I listened to his famous interview. He felt melancholy and nostalgia. You always have to know which locker room you go to and Rom knew that ours is healthy, cheerful, positive. In life, you often choose the economic reasons at first, but then well-being always takes over: if you are well somewhere, it’s normal you want to go back.”

The goalkeeper was then asked if he said anything to him as team captain.

He added: “Nothing, it was not needed. Rather, I make fun of him. He still gets angry if he loses a game! He is as if he had never gone away. He’s the same person as before. About the player, the pitch will do the talking.”