What can we expect from Romelu Lukaku in FPL – and how will he fit in our teams?

Romelu Lukaku (£11.5m) is now the most-bought Fantasy Premier League forward of Gameweek 2, having outstripped Richarlison (£7.6m) in the ‘transfers in’ column.

The Belgian hasn’t even kicked a ball for Chelsea since his £97.5m move from Inter Milan last Thursday but a further 300,000+ Fantasy managers have wasted no time in snapping him up this week, added to the circa half a million who had him in their squads for his no-show in Gameweek 1.

Unless Harry Kane (£12.4m) or perhaps Jamie Vardy (£10.5m) are in situ as a premium forward placeholder, accommodating Lukaku into our FPL teams will probably require a spot of reconstructive surgery and a reallocation of funds.

How to incorporate the Blues’ new number nine is a question we’ll be pondering in our Scout Report below, which first delves a bit deeper into the transfer and his history.

KEY PLAYER/MANAGER QUOTES

“We were looking for a certain profile and Romelu gives us that. He feels confident to play physical, he feels confident to play with his back towards the goal, but also he is very strong in using his speed and pace. So this will always be a key figure in our game.

“To be strong in ball wins and offensive transition, this is what the league demands and this is what we demand from ourselves, but we don’t want to be only a ball possession team, only a defensive team, a team that only plays long balls.

“We feel that Romelu’s strength is having a variety of strengths. He is strong in the air, he will give us a new power when we cross from the side. I don’t think we need to change our style of play to make him shine. He has charisma, he is a good age now where he is a leader and hopefully he will be one of the leaders in our group.” – Thomas Tuchel

“I’ve been training throughout pre-season and I feel good. It’s been good to join in with the guys and get to work. Now it’s just about getting to know all my teammates better and at the end of the day, I’m ready for Sunday if the manager needs me.” – Romelu Lukaku

“He is a true number nine. Since I worked here, I understand why there are so many physical strikers that are so needed and so successful because the league demands it. He’s a perfect fit for Chelsea and he will take the weight off the shoulders of our younger strikers.

“This is a huge part of the story, that he does not step away and he’s happy to make life easier for players around him. I think players like Christian [Pulisic], Kai [Havertz] and Timo [Werner] will benefit from him.” – Thomas Tuchel

“My role will depend on what the game plan is and what the boss wants me to do. If he wants me to be a focal point or if he wants me to attack the spaces in behind, I can do it. The two years in Italy helped me master all the facets of the game for a striker and now I’m ready.

“I like the system that we play and I’m very flexible. I can play as a two or by myself and I’m used to the system because it’s what we play with the Belgian national team so I don’t need much time to adapt. It’s just knowing the strengths of my teammates in important positions and knowing what we do off the ball, then I can do the rest.” – Romelu Lukaku

THE HISTORY

Lukaku had spent eight years as a Premier League player before moving to Inter in 2019.

The Belgian had already plundered 33 goals and 13 assists in 73 league appearances for Anderlecht by the time he had reached 19 years of age, departing for Chelsea in August 2011 – almost exactly ten years before he would rejoin the Blues.

Sticky spells under Jose Mourinho bookended the striker’s time in England, with the serial blame-dodger citing youthfulness and ongoing development for his failure to bring the best out of Lukaku in west London and in Manchester.

In between, though, the Belgium international was a force to be reckoned with, never failing to hit double figures for goals in a single campaign from 2012/13 onwards.

A 25-goal season for Everton in 2016/17 and two successful years in Italy highlighted what Lukaku was capable of when managed effectively, as does 64 international goals in 98 caps for his motherland.

PREVIOUSLY IN FPL

Lukaku’s 221-point season in 2016/17 was his zenith in FPL and a particularly memorable one for us Fantasy managers, as the Belgian started out at a bargain £9.0m.

Thanks to some phenomenal work from the ridiculously talented TopMarx, we can break down the above numbers from 2013/14 onwards (records aren’t currently available before then) even further to give a clearer picture of his on-field achievements.

As with most players, there was a bit of a disparity between his historical record against the ‘big six’ and the rest: Lukaku averaged 5.39 points per match against the also-rans and 3.19 in encounters with the elite half-dozen sides from 2013-2019.

The Belgian’s home/away record was less contrasting: he averaged 5.13 points per match on his own turf and 4.29 on the road.

A record of 26 double-digit hauls in 209 appearances was so-so but it should be remembered (especially when looking at the below tables) that four of his seasons involved playing for an Everton side that didn’t finish higher than fifth and that indeed twice ended up in 11th.

HISTORICAL FPL RECORDS V OTHER PREMIUM ASSETS (2013/14+)

In his peak year in 2016/17, Lukaku averaged 5.97 points per game and hit a double-digit haul every 4.11 matches – those figures, if replicated at Chelsea, are Kane-esque.

THE UNDERLYING STATISTICS AT INTER