Romelu Lukaku has openly criticized Chelsea for trying to fit him into a playstyle similar to club legend Didier Drogba, which he believes limited his potential.
Lukaku, who first joined Chelsea as a young striker, eventually left for Everton after realizing he wasn’t part of their long-term plans. After returning to Stamford Bridge in 2019 in a high-profile move from Inter Milan, the Belgian once again struggled to meet expectations.
Reflecting on his time in England, Lukaku said on the Friends of Sports podcast, as shared by journalist Fabrizio Romano, that his playing style was often misunderstood.
“In England, they put me in a box. They saw my physique and thought: ‘new Drogba.’ But I’m not like that,” Lukaku explained. “Didier was more back-to-goal, able to hold up the ball wherever you played it. That wasn’t my style.”
He also addressed the criticism he faced at Chelsea, where he was often labeled as lazy, selfish, and unable to lead. “The narratives were always negative—‘he’s lazy, doesn’t work hard, can’t hold the ball,’ and so on.”
Lukaku pointed out the contrast with his time at Inter Milan, where his performances were praised. “In Italy, after two years at Inter, people said I was one of the best players in the world playing back-to-goal.”
Now permanently at Napoli, Lukaku has made a strong start under Antonio Conte’s guidance, putting his challenging time at Chelsea behind him.
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