Romelu Lukaku: Chelsea want to prove Jose Mourinho wrong by re-signing striker after David Luiz and Kevin De Bruyne errors
CHELSEA bought Romelu Lukaku for £18million as a boy and let him go for £28m three years later without scoring a goal for them.
Now it’s going to take at least £70m to bring the man back, as a mature line leader and replacement for Diego Costa.
And a big part of it is for Michael Emenalo and the Chelsea hierarchy to be able to say to Jose Mourinho: “We told you so.”
On the field, Chelsea have never looked smoother or appeared in such harmony as they romp to the title under a charismatic manager.
Yet while the relationship between boss Antonio Conte and the Stamford Bridge board is strong, there are other pressures below the surface.
As for most of the Roman Abramovich era, they centre on Mourinho, now boss at Manchester United.
The Portuguese is frustrated that previous Old Trafford chief Louis van Gaal sold talents like Danny Welbeck, Angel di Maria and Javier Hernandez during his two-year reign.
He may be right of course. But those forthright comments have not gone unnoticed at his former club.
For Welbeck, Di Maria and Hernandez, at Chelsea read David Luiz, Kevin De Bruyne and Lukaku.
Chelsea allowed those three to go in order to show public backing to their then-boss above all other dissenting voices at the club.
There were some heavyweight figures at Stamford Bridge who felt it was a big mistake letting Luiz leave five months after Mourinho’s appointment in December 2013, even though the huge-haired Brazilian was prone to the odd blunder himself.
The fact Luiz is now back and a cornerstone of Conte’s new Chelsea is not just a pat on the back for the player and manager.
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Technical director Emenalo is the one lapping up the feeling of self-satisfaction which mushrooms each time Chelsea rack up another win on their way to the Premier League title.
There are others behind the scenes with serious clout who are also enjoying the irony of Mourinho’s latest outburst about costly errors in the transfer market.
He let De Bruyne move to Wolfsburg for £18m in January 2015 — 18 months later Manchester City shelled out £54m for the Belgian playmaker.
And it is part of the driving force to re-sign Lukaku even though the economics are a mess.
Emenalo regards Lukaku as his ‘baby’ — having alerted Chelsea to the blossoming Belgian back in 2011 when he himself was promoted to technical director.
And the one-time scout, now influential advisor to owner Abramovich, is determined to be proved right on Lukaku whatever the cost financially.
The striker had already hit 17 goals during a season’s loan at West Brom before Mourinho started his second spell at the club in June 2013.
Lukaku was farmed out on loan again, this time to Everton, where he netted 15 times.
Mourinho then sanctioned a £28m permanent switch to Merseyside in July 2014 — and the Belgian has bagged another 49 top-flight goals since, including 21 this term.
Chelsea showed an interest in their former starlet last summer, though did not submit a bid.
But it is crucial to pounce now, with the 23-year-old in a contract stand-off with Everton and receiving big-money offers from China.
Conte will get the backing he needs to ramp up Chelsea from Premier League winners to a force in Europe next season.
Michail Antonio of West Ham, a target back in January, is still wanted for a wing-back role.
Brighton’s David Stockdale is on the list to replace No 2 keeper Asmir Begovic, who is set for Bournemouth.
While Leicester’s Kasper Schmeichel is a serious contender to replace No 1 Thibaut Courtois if the Belgian ups sticks and leaves.
A busy summer is in prospect on the transfer front but Emenalo is having a big say again.
There were times during Mourinho’s second turbulent reign at Chelsea when the Nigerian’s future was the subject of debate along with that of co-director Marina Granovskaia.
The fact he outlasted Mourinho is no surprise to Chelsea insiders, who see this summer as the time to bring Lukaku home and let Costa leave for Spain or China. Conte prefers the talents of Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata.
Indeed, such is Abramovich’s desire to keep the Italian happy that he is likely to sanction moves for BOTH strikers, despite the £140m cost.
But while there is a difference of opinion again on transfer priorities, it is not one which is going to rip Chelsea apart like it did under the abrasive Mourinho.
Lukaku’s experience in the Premier League with Everton is a big factor, as are his physical size and domination of defenders.
Morata is struggling for a game in Madrid but Conte has already shown how he can polish up a player — with Luiz the shining example.
Emenalo, always smiling, which can be a rarity in the pressure cooker world of English football, just wants revenge.