Having seen his side fail to find the net in each of the last two league games, Everton boss Roberto Martinez boosted his options up front a week last Monday with the deadline-day capture of Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea. The 20-year-old arrives at Goodison on a season-long loan deal and will battle Nikica Jelavic and Arouna Kone for the lone forward role in Martinez’ current 4-3-3 formation:
Speaking to the press whilst on duty with Belgium over the last few days, Lukaku admitted next year’s World Cup played a part in his decision. Despite an impressive pre-season for the Blues, he was dropped to the bench by Jose Mourinho and with the likes of Andre Schurrle preferred up front for the recent match at Old Trafford, the Belgian was sceptical over his chances for Chelsea this season:
“I had some doubts about the game time I would get. At my age, I absolutely have to play. I wanted to know certain things before I agreed. For my development and with the World Cup coming up at the end of the season, I cannot afford to stay on the bench. When you are on loan, you have to know that you are really going to play. Then I received a call from Roberto Martinez and he reassured me and said lots of nice things.”
The History
A product of the Anderlecht youth academy, Lukaku made his first-team debut back in May 2009 – less than a fortnight after his 16th birthday. Installed as a regular the following season, he took the Belgian top-flight by storm and racked up 15 goals and five assists in 25 appearances and maintained his predatory instincts the year after, producing 16 goals and seven assists in 37 games, including play-off matches.
After scoring twice in two league appearances at the start of the 2011/12 campaign, the six foot three forward was snapped up by Chelsea before the closure of the summer transfer window. Lukaku found it impossible to establish a place in the first-team, though; he was handed just a single start in the league, with a further seven appearances coming courtesy of the bench.
Farmed out on loan to West Brom last term, his Premier league potential was all too apparent – 17 goals and seven assists from 35 appearances, with 15 of those from the bench, helped fire the Baggies to an eighth place finish in Steve Clarke’s first season at the helm. On the international stage, Lukaku has turned out 21 times for Belgian and found the net on three occasions.
The Prospects
As we quickly discovered over Chelsea’s first three league matches, the big Belgian looked out of favour under Mourinho. Relying on brief sub appearances from the bench as the Blues boss opted for Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Schurrle to lead the line over each of those respective fixtures, Lukaku was a peripheral figure and had managed a mere 40 minutes in the league as the transfer window approached. With Mourinho then opting to purchase Samuel Eto’o from Russian outfit Anzhi, Lukaku’s opportunities seemed remote at best – all the more puzzling in light of his barnstorming displays for the Baggies last time around.
Martinez’ move looks the ideal solution for all parties involved. Everton’s toils up front come despite the fact they have created chances aplenty, with Jelavic particularly culpable in the centre – the Croatian will have every reason to be concerned over Lukaku’s arrival as Martinez looks to add a cutting edge to his three-man frontline. Speaking to the club’s official website over the last few days, Martinez’ praise for Lukaku certainly indicates he’ll have a major part to play for the Merseysiders this term:
“It was a perfect fit for what we needed and he is not going to need any settling in period. I just see him as someone who can come in straight away and hit the ground running – and you don’t get many players like that. You look at the player – he is only 20 and he can do anything. He is powerful, strong, direct with his running and a clinical finisher with his left and right feet. He can also assist and see a pass. It’s very difficult to see a weakness. He started to have a big role at 16 so he has been playing at a high level for a number of years. All we want is for him to fulfil his potential at Everton, enjoy his football and make sure that he has an outstanding World Cup campaign.”
Dropping down in price from 8.0 to a kind 7.4 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Lukaku – who sets you back 8.6 in the Sky Sports game and 4.0 in the Sun Dream Team – is, of course, sidelined for the Toffees Gameweek 4 clash with parent club Chelsea but with West Ham, Newcastle and Hull in the following four, he’s afforded the chance to hit the ground running.
While many Fantasy managers contemplate the likes of Olivier Giroud, Christian Benteke, Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Soldado around the 9.0 bracket, Lukaku’s dip in price is likely to appeal to owners of Robin Van Persie who are shopping around for a mid-price partner for the United frontman. With Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman and Kevin Mirallas feeding the big Belgian from wide positions, Lukaku could well be primed for a fruitful Fantasy campaign once again. Ironically, as rest and rotation looks likely to blight the prospects of Torres and co at the Bridge, Everton’s need for a proven finisher affords the Belgian the platform to grab the goals and prove Mourinho wrong.
