Romelu
Lukaku has a serene-like quality as he sits down for an exclusive chat with
Sky Sports. He looks healthy, calm and composed as he gives Geoff Shreeves
an in-depth insight into his history at Chelsea, why Italy was the right
move and how now is the right time to play for his boyhood club...
It's not a secret that Lukaku was a childhood fan of Chelsea, looking up to
iconic players such as Didier Drogba, who he maintains contact with to this
day.
"We spoke a few days ago and we spoke about that time [when Lukaku was
previously at Chelsea] and about the progress that I've made and what I have
to keep improving - keeping the same hunger all the time," Lukaku revealed.
"The thing about Didier is that he's a very detailed individual. Thierry
Henry is also very detailed and it's the details that make the difference.
We talk about individual exercises that I like, what's the goal of each
exercise and we talk about those things, but also about trying to win
because that's the thing that matters.
"He's a winner in every sense of the word and that's the thing I want to
achieve for this football club."
But of course, it was not the dream move to Chelsea he would have hoped for
at 18 years old. Lukaku moved around the Premier League and then to Inter
Milan, where he credits Antonio Conte for a complete change in his approach
to football.
The pressure of scoring goals, the price tags and false starts bore a weight
on the Belgian's shoulders, but they seemed to melt away out of the pressure
cooker of English football.
When asked by Shreeves if his first departure from Chelsea in July 2014 hurt
him as a fan of the club, Lukaku replied: "Yeah it did. I wrote a piece
about last summer for the first time about what football can do sometimes on
the metal side.
"That's something that I had on the back of my shoulders for many years. It
was a source of motivation at the time, but also asking myself questions
like 'what went wrong?'. I was living with that for many years and that's
why sometimes, I could come over as a bit aggressive in interviews, or very
defensive.
"At one point, I just decided it was better to go somewhere else and just
see everything from a different point of view. When I went to Italy, it was
the best thing I could've done at the time.
"There were questions. I knew I had the ability, but why not? It was always
just not. When I think about my performances with Everton, missed penalties,
or United games or whatever. Or when I was here [at Chelsea] and I'd get an
opportunity and it wouldn't go well - it was always just not. Maybe it was
because I put too much [pressure].
"When I went to Italy, it's where, under the guidance of Antonio Conte, I
learnt what it took to go and break that barrier. When we did win [the Serie
A title] last year, you could se the emotions in my face.
"For me, it was ten years of hard work, with a lot of ups and downs, but in
the end, it was good. Coming into my prime years, I know myself and I know
what it takes. I know how to be a leader and what it takes to help my team.
"Technically, I have improved because before, back to goal was not really my
thing, I didn't like it, I didn't enjoy it. I'm more of a guy that likes to
run in behind, find tight spaces and take players on.
"But as soon as I started getting better with my back-to-goal play, it was
better for me because I could score more goals but I could also create more
for my team-mates, so my assists went up and I became a more complete
player.
"Tactically, I see the game totally different. I'm really interested in the
movements some players make. So for the last week, I've been watching the
last seven or eight games of the team and try to know what the movements and
what the coach is trying to expect from us in every game, so when I come in,
I can just move."
But it's not just in Italy where Lukaku has nurtured and developed the
improvements in his game. Belgium manager Roberto Martinez - who signed the
striker for Everton in 2014 after a successful loan spell - has also shown
his faith in Lukaku on the international stage.
The 28-year-old reflected: "I realised there was a change and people saw me
differently was when I started captaining Belgium for a few games when Eden
[Hazard] was not there, or Jan Vertonghen wasn't there.
"That's when I thought 'Roberto Martinez was there with me since I was 20
years old, and he's seen the steps I've been making as a player on the
mental side', of course on the football side, he was there to see it.
"When he gave me the captaincy for a few games when Eden and Jan weren't
there, that's when I knew I'd made the next step in my career where I'm seen
as a leader and also make a difference for my team at the same time.
"At the end of the day, I'll let my football do the talking, but I think I
can add something different to this team because this team is very strong.
But hopefully I can add and help the guys out."
But now, all attentions have turned back to his footballing love - Chelsea.
He signed for £97.5m - a club record fee - and has been touted as the man to
help Thomas Tuchel's side compete for the Premier League trophy, as well as
defending their Champions League title.
The move has all the feeling of a serendipitous, stars-aligning moment for
Lukaku to make his triumphant return to Stamford Bridge and fire them to
countless glories. But why does Lukaku feel like it is his time at Chelsea?
"I think the move could have happened a few years ago when I was 23 or 24,
but looking back, you have to be honest with yourself, and I don't know if
it would have had the same impact like I have now," he said.
"Now is the right time. I'm much more mature, much more aware of the stuff
happening on the football pitch, I'm a father outside of it as well now so I
have a lot more responsibility. Leadership skills, I achieved that, now I
just have to let my work on the pitch do the talking.
"I'm ready. If you look at my last three transfers, it's basically the same
story all the time. Now here, it is the same thing, so why should I put
unnecessary pressure? I know the drill, I've been in the game for 12 years,
I know the expectations.
"So it doesn't make sense to me to start overthinking stuff. Football just
stays football. I'm a very self-motivated guy, I'm a guy that's very
intelligent in the how to prepare my game and find a way to help my team.
The only thing for me is to drive to win even more, because after winning
last year, why should it stop now? So I want to keep doing that.
"It's all about preparation and now I'm just trying to prepare myself in the
best way possible. Physically, I'm fit and those two years in Italy helped
me to get better physically, getting stronger.
"I can't wait. I'm very excited because the Premier League has improved, all
the team got better, the players got better so it's going to be a very
competitive year this year."
And if Lukaku could follow the likes of Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard
into Chelsea legend?
"It would mean the world to me. I said I wanted to do this as a child and
now I'm here, I'm going to the training ground every day with the same
determination to help my team win games. That's the only thing that matters.
"Yes, you want to score the goals and things like that, but at the end of
the day, winning matters. That was the mindset I had to have to win, because
before it was all about scoring goals, but when you don't win, the respect
is not the same. That's where I thought 'if I start winning now, I will
really be fulfilled'."
Lukaku will have his first chance to test his new winning mindset when
Chelsea travel to Arsenal in the Premier League, live on Sky Sports, this
Sunday. However, this time, the striker will likely take the pressure all in
his stride.
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