Mauricio Pochettino has been told how he can transform Romelu Lukaku into Chelsea's very own Erling Haaland. The 29-year-old striker will return from his season-long loan at Inter Milan this summer and, despite having left on sour terms, he's expected to be given a second chance in west London.
Lukaku, who sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire in 2026, has featured 24 times for the Nerazzurri in the Serie A this term, directly contributing towards 15 goals. The Belgium international was initially plagued with injuries but he quickly built a head of steam in the new year.
He now has just two more games to further prove his worth to Pochettino; the second of which being the Champions League final against Manchester City. Simone Inzaghi is expected to play Lukaku in a two-man strike partnership with Lautaro Martinez – and this is exactly how the Italian giants have got the best out of him.
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While the newly-appointed Chelsea boss hasn't necessarily been instructed to copy Inter's system, he's been told that Lukaku can have the same impact as Haaland next season if the Blues play to his strengths.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Roberto Martinez claimed that the Belgian hasn't been appreciated enough in England over the years. The former Everton boss said: "I don’t think he’s ever been rated in the UK in the way he’s rated away from it.
"You have to play to his strengths. I think it’s a fair point to make that the No.9 is the player who relies more on the other 10 players, and it’s a good example with what we’ve seen from Erling Haaland this season at Man City - and he is clearly one of the finest goalscorers the game has ever had.
"It’s about style, it’s about the partnership, who is going to be the last man who is giving you the ball. It’s about that understanding from the other players of what your No.9 can do."
If Lukaku is to return to Chelsea then he's been told to apologise to the fans first. In an interview with BoyleSports, Florent Malouda said: "There are many issues to be fixed, but I would not mind Romelu returning to Chelsea because I believe that he can, and he will, have something to prove.
"However, he can’t do it in the conditions that he previously left under - this is the reality. He has to improve his relationship with the fans for sure, because of the interview he gave two years ago when he was there.
"I read comments saying Pochettino wouldn’t mind working with Lukaku, and this should give Romelu confidence. He is still a top player and he has proved that during his time in Italy.
"He has faced a lot of adversity and he still has some wrongs to correct. Chelsea need good players and are not playing in the Champions League, so they need players who want to be here. There are too many players who are looking elsewhere because they don’t feel like they are part of the project."
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