Romelu Lukaku signed for Anderlecht at the age of 16 from the Lierse youth team, where he scored a mind blowing 121 goals in 68 games. It came to the point over in Belgium where Lukaku was just scoring for fun, scoring 41 goals in 98 games in his Anderlecht career. This is a very impressive stat for such a young striker, which is why he got attention from big clubs all over Europe.
It wasn't just Lukaku's goal scoring ability that attracted scouts from all the top clubs - it was his stature. Lukaku stands at 6 foot 3, and weighs 14 stone, making him more than physically able to bully defenders who stand in his way. Although he is this big, Lukaku is also shockingly speedy and agile for his house-like build. That is why Chelsea signed the youngster in 2011 for a fee reported around the region of £10million (rising to £17million including add-ons).
Lukaku played his first game for Chelsea when he was subbed on for Fernando Torres in the 83rd minute in a 3-1 win at home to Norwich, a game in which we saw Juan Mata's first goal for the club. Romelu made his first start for Chelsea in a League Cup tie at home to Fulham which saw Chelsea win the game on penalties.
Lukaku spent the majority of the season playing with the reserves. Lukaku was a great prospect, but at the time it was clear that he didn't have the skill just yet to play in the Premier League. Nearly every aspect of the Belgian's game needed work on - some serious training was needed.
Because Romelu has already made appearances for both Anderlecht and Chelsea in the season, Romelu was not allowed by FIFA rules to go out on loan to a third club, which was a big shame for both the club and the player. At the time Chelsea already had Nicholas Anelka, Didier Drogba, Salamon Kalou and Fernando Torres, so it looked increasingly unlikely Romelu would feature heavily in the season ahead. It was a big shame he couldn't go out on loan, as he only racked up about 400 minutes for Chelsea. Although he was playing consistently in the reserve league, he was physically dominant to most of the younger's that he would face.
One thing that baffles me about Andre Vilas Boas's time at Chelsea was that he had Romelu training and sometimes featuring on the wing for Chelsea. I'm no tactical genius, but even I could work-out that a player of Romelu's build and playing style lied in the centre of the attack. Not only was he not having time to develop, he wasn't seeing any perks of training along-side boyhood hero, Didier Drogba.
Lukaku started his first league game for Chelsea in the last game of the domestic season against Blackburn Rovers, where he put in a man of the match performance with an assist for John Terry's opener. However, Lukaku stressed that he was disappointed with his involvement at the end of his debut season, revealing that he refused to touch the Champions League trophy as he didn't feel a winner, as he didn't contribute to the win.
After an impressive pre-season with Chelsea, the club decided that the best thing for Romelu's development was to send him on loan. Romelu joined West Bromwich Albion on August 10th 2012 on a season-long loan. Originally, I didn't think this was the best destination for the promising striker, as I didn't like the idea of the competition against the likes of Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie, as West Brom would favor their existing strikers. However, this proved to be one of the best loan-deals Chelsea had made in a while.
Lukaku has racked up 1432 minutes under ex Chelsea coach Steve Clarke at West Brom this season, as has scored 13 goala and has made 3 assists.Although these stats looks impressive, they don't tell half the story. The threat Lukaku has on the pitch for West Brom is incredible. He got off on the right foot scoring on his debut against Liverpool, and generally bullying defenders with his pace and build.
Lukaku has shown signs this season that he will be one of the world best one day. Lukaku utilises his strength when winning balls in the air, and holds up play very well. He is oozing with confidence at the moment. West Brom are free to play long balls up to the front man with confidence he will deal with them, and continue the play. His dribbling has also improved massively. I remember when I payed a close eye on Lukaku's home debut against Fulham when I was there, and he would get into great positions and win the ball, but dribble into dead areas of the pitch, or hesitate when trying to get the ball past one of the opposing defenders. Now, Romelu is challenging defenders with his first touch has led to more shots on goal for himself, and chances for his team mates.
As of late, Lukaku's immediate future has been a discussion among Chelsea fans. The majority, including myself, would keep him at Stamford Bridge without shadow of a doubt next season. We could have done with him this season, as I'm sure he would have been playing ahead of our 50-million-flop Fernando Torres. In my opinion, this lad has the potential to be the world best striker, and at the age of 19 is already one of the Premier League's best.
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