Lukaku’s £98 million move from Inter to Stamford Bridge was announced on Thursday after several weeks of talks to bring him back to Chelsea.
Chelsea were linked with signing Erling Haaland
Thomas Tuchel has joked about Chelsea’s efforts to sign a striker this summer, having been asked about Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, after seeing the club bring in Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku’s £98 million move from Inter to Stamford Bridge was announced on Thursday after several weeks of talks to bring him back to Chelsea. However, for much of the summer, Chelsea were linked with signing Haaland, who looks set to stay at the Bundesliga club. Having been asked about Haaland, Tuchel began jokingly criticising his club’s efforts in the transfer market. “Yes, we tried to sign both and wanted Lewandowski as a No 10 in behind,” Tuchel joked ahead of a match against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. “Unfortunately, the board didn’t listen, and we only have Romelu.”
Those at the club are delighted with the mentality of the group
“Yes, we missed a lot of opportunities,” he sarcastically continued when Lionel Messi was brought up. “That’s why you find me very upset and not wanting to continue. No! We had a certain profile, and we are delighted with the mentality and attitude of the group. We wanted it to stay like this. It is not a given to have this in a group. It is precious and can be decisive in football. In my opinion, it is decisive, and we are cautious and want to protect it. It was not about bringing the possible amount of players into this group. We had to be sure that the player was good enough, in the right state of mind and can give with his personality to improve us.”
“We wanted to be as sure as we can with this transfer. There are always doubts about transfers, but we are very sure with Romelu because he knows the club and what Chelsea is about. It is like this. We think that Romelu, coming through here and always having Chelsea in his heart, is the perfect addition to our group because he embodies all that. We are proud of that in this club. We had, of course, some exchanges on the phone, but right now, he is following the protocol and quarantining some more days, and we will work on the details.”