Chelsea 's record signing Romelu Lukaku has been accused of making the "wrong" choice as he left Inter Milan to return to Stamford Bridge this summer.
The Blues spent £97.5million bringing the Belgian back to Chelsea after being sold to Everton in 2014, but Lukaku has been somewhat of a spectator in recent weeks as Kai Havertz has been leading the line. The 28-year-old hit the ground running upon his return, but ever since he picked up an injury in October, things haven't been the same.
On top of the month-long injury, Lukaku also caused a stir as he hinted about a potential return to Inter after just six months, and his relationship hasn't been the same with Thomas Tuchel and the fans since. And due to his ongoing struggles, Lukaku has been accused of making the "wrong" choice this summer.
That's according to former Manchester United star Patrice Evra, who believes that he should've stayed in Italy after a successful season with Inter. Evra told Prime Video: "‘People who criticise him have a short memory. Because when he arrived in London he scored and did well; then he got injured and said he missed Inter.
"In the end, he created a bit of a mess with the [Chelsea] fans. He wanted to return to Chelsea at all costs, he should have stayed at Inter after such a high-level season. He made that choice there which for me is wrong."
Lukaku was seen as the missing piece in the Chelsea puzzle at the start of this season, as the signings made under Frank Lampard started to gel for Tuchel, with just a focal point missing. But after a fast start, it's gone downhill for Lukaku and he's yet to score in the Premier League so far this calendar year.
Despite the difficult situation that Lukaku finds himself in, Tuchel has defended Chelsea's decision to sign the Belgian, as he said: "We signed Rom because we believed in him, and still do. Of course it didn't work until now, but it can change.
"We had a reason to spend this amount of money and he had reasons to come here and complete his Chelsea chapter. This is still ongoing." But Lukaku upset fans at the end of 2021 as he revealed to Sky Italy that he only joined Chelsea because Inter didn't offer him a new contract.
Lukaku said: "I told myself that there is only one team where I could possibly see myself – Chelsea. I wasn’t thinking about going there, but at one point they came in for me and so I asked [Inter boss Simone] Inzaghi to leave.
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"The fact that they didn’t try to make me sign a new contract bothered me a bit, it hurt me even. If Inter offered me a new contract, I would have stayed 100 per cent. That goes without saying."
Following his comments and due to the fact his form has majorly dipped, Lukaku has been linked with a return to Inter this summer, but after Chelsea spent £97.5m on him just nine months ago, it's unlikely that they'd let him go cheaply. The money that Chelsea offered was too much for Inter to refuse, so it's unlikely that they would be willing to hand it all back.
But they have been knocked off the top of Serie A by bitter rivals AC Milan, although Inter can move within one point of their title competitors if they win their game in hand. Lukaku scored 24 league goals last season as Inter won the title for the first time in a decade, but he has only managed five Premier League goals since returning to Chelsea.
