“Terrible player” “Must be offload” – Enzo Maresca set to offload Chelsea flop after another horrible show in Euro 2024
Enzo Maresca, who was appointed from Leicester City earlier this month, has been given the responsibility of leading Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League.
After winning the league title in his debut season as senior manager with the Foxes in the Championship, the Italian moves to Stamford Bridge.
Maresca takes over a team that is rising; the Blues qualified for the Europa League in 2023–24 despite a dismal beginning to the season that saw them win just one of their first six Premier League games.
Given that owner Todd Boehly has added 22 players to the first team in the last two years, and more players are anticipated, it is safe to say he will have a large roster at his disposal, follow suit during the transfer window.
There will need to be a compromise to all the new additions, with players needing to be sold from Stamford Bridge during the off-season to balance the books and avoid a punishment from the Premier League for breaking their FFP rules.
One player in particular is surely set for an exit from the club after spending the last two years on temporary loan stints away from the Blues.
Romelu Lukaku’s stats at Chelsea since 2021
Despite joining the club for a reported £97.5m fee back in the summer of 2021, striker Romelu Lukaku has failed to provide any value for money, scoring just 15 times in his 44 appearances after rejoining Chelsea.
He’s subsequently been on two separate loan spells away from England, joining Serie A duo Inter Milan and Roma in a bid to reignite his once red-hot form in front of goal.
The Belgian has found the net on 35 occasions between the two loan stints, but it might not be enough to force himself back into Maresca’s plans next season.
Given his expensive fee, the club will look to recoup as much of the money as possible, allowing Lukaku to have a fresh start after a dismal second spell in the Premier League for Chelsea.
However, he’s been selected by his nation to feature at Euro 2024, but his fortunes haven’t changed, producing a below-par display in Belgium’s shock 1-0 defeat against Slovakia yesterday.
Lukaku’s stats for Belgium against Slovakia
Belgium started their Euro 2024 campaign in Germany on Monday afternoon, facing Slovakia – a game in which Domenico Tedesco’s side were huge favourites to win.
However, Lukaku and Co failed to produce any quality, with the striker producing a shambolic display, which led to journalist Francois Plateau branding the 31-year-old as “terrible”.
He featured for the entirety of the contest but only managed 27 touches – an average of just one touch every 3.3 minutes during the unexpected defeat.