Romelu Lukaku returns to Chelsea squad after apologizing for controversial interview: ‘He knows he has to get rid of his mess’

Read also. The wrong man to argue with: why it’s no coincidence that Thomas Tuchel blows up the Romelu Lukaku incident

Did you miss buying your record in a lively match against an absolute archenemy? You don’t just do that. It should be clear: the interview with Romelu Lukaku that aired on Sky Italia last weekend was particularly bad for Chelsea and Tuchel.

Came there too External criticism: Fans, pundits, the press… A letter from Lukaku to Tim Howard, his former Everton teammate, also added some fuel to the fire. The former, who is now an analyst at US network NBC, asked Lukaku about the situation. “I can’t say much about it, because the situation is hot. I have another meeting on Monday. Then I can say more.”

According to the Daily Mail, the Blues will consider further disciplinary action against the Red Devil. For example, sporting director Marina Granovskaya and owner Roman Abramovich would have fully supported Tuchel, and some of his Lukaku teammates did not appreciate the words of the striker. The Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, talks about a fine of no less than 500,000 euros.

But Lukaku will be back in the squad to face Tottenham on Wednesday when former Lukaku coach Antonio Conte returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time since he was sacked in 2018.

Excuses

“I’m glad we took the time to talk about it calmly,” Tuchel said. “Romelo has apologized. The most important thing for me is that this was not intended on his part. He didn’t want to make a fuss. It’s also the first time he’s acted like this here. Even when he felt he was ready to play and we didn’t think it, he didn’t do any Something against the team. So it was important to understand that this isn’t as big as you think (media, editor). It’s no small thing either, but we accepted his apology.”

But what will Wednesday give blues fans? It appears that “Romelo is fully aware of what he has done”. “He feels a responsibility to clean up the mess. There will still be after-effects, but he can deal with that. He also has no other choice. He doesn’t expect everyone to be happy right away. But Romelu is our player and we have very good reasons to protect him. It’s important that the fans support The team, even if they have different opinions about Lukaku. It’s about the team.”

Tuchel also does not doubt Lukaku’s dedication. “It’s always been like this, on and off the field. So that came as a surprise. He’s just been decisive again after his injury and Corona. But Romelu is an emotional guy with his heart on his sleeve. You don’t always have to point fingers at him. He didn’t want these. The fuss. How do we get the best of him? The players do it themselves. He is a simple striker. But he came to a different competition, a different club, with different teammates… It takes time. In addition, there was an injury and Corona. We are on schedule with him. Everything has now been clarified.”