As Chelsea enter a new era, fans have a list of ideas for their new owner to consider. The Blues will expect the club to be run differently but to still maintain a vicious, winning mentality. In order for a better fight for the Premier League title next season, harsh decisions will need to be made. Players will leave, and new ones will be brought in, but none of it matters if the Blues do not close the massive gap that they have with Manchester City.
That may now have been made that bit more difficult after Man City's mission to sign Erling Haaland was accomplished. City confirmed the signing on Tuesday afternoon and as Pep Guardiola brings one striker in, Chelsea fans look to get rid of one of theirs. Romelu Lukaku has not had the dream start to his return to Stamford Bridge. In fact, it's been rather underwhelming. He has only managed to score 14 goals in 41 games this season. Not great from a £97million signing in any respect.
The irony is that Chelsea will need to do their best to keep the Belgian on their books if they are to close the gap next season. Liverpool and Man City have managed to go head to head for the Premier League title, and the competition has gone right down to the wire. Chelsea stepped off the gas along the way and are now 16 points behind second-placed Liverpool. With the addition of Haaland to Guardiola's side, Chelsea need a response and its's Lukaku.
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Let's forget everything we know about the Romelu Lukaku of this calendar year. His form at his previous club, Inter Milan, could not have been a fluke. The 28-year-old proved to the world that he is a goalscoring machine given the right tools around him. Last season he registered 30 goals and 10 assists and the season before that, 34 goals and six assists. There is more than enough evidence to suggest that he can return to this form.
Now, we are not saying that he will match Haaland's numbers, but he's the best hope that Chelsea have at the moment. Fans are calling for the return of Armando Broja in replacement for the Belgian, but in reality, it will not be enough. Broja is a magnificent forward, but world-class strikers are not made overnight. The Albanian has made a name for himself on loan to Southampton this season but the 20-year-old only has nine goals in 37. With the Tuchel touch he could lead Chelsea to the promised land some day but his return to the Bridge will not do the Blues any justice in the upcoming season
Taking a look across Europe's top five leagues, there are roughly two strikers at the moment who can match the productivity of Haaland - Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski. Benzema is not be looking for a move away from the Bernabeu this summer and Lewandowski, while previously linked with Chelsea, will be 34 at the start of next season - not the signing the Blues need.
As Man City look to strengthen their attack, the last thing that Thomas Tuchel needs is to weaken his. Over the weekend, we saw a different side to Lukaku against Wolves. If the Belgian can maintain that level of performance for an entire season, he could drag the Blues into a title race for a much longer stint. After all, he did start off this season well. It was not until his return from injury, coupled with his unforgivable interview with Sky Italia that his form began to dip drastically.
