With Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea are Premier League contenders

Big Romelu Lukaku is close to returning to the Premier League

Last time, the player hardly played at all for the London club and found himself sold to Everton, but that was many years ago at this point, and Romelu Lukaku has since developed into an incredible number nine; I know both Everton and Manchester United wish they had him coming to them right now.

Yet Big Rom, fresh off of a Serie A Championship with Inter Milan, will be coming to the Premier League outfit that last year, ended up Champions of the Champions League; with his arrival, alongside the rest of their top players from last season, Chelsea look poised to battle Manchester City all season long for top of the Premier League table.

How will Chelsea be different this year than last, and how is Big Rom different than his last go at Stamford Bridge?

Lukaku and Chelsea: A match made in heaven

Thomas Tuchel, the head coach of Chelsea who turned their season around after taking over the club from club legend Frank Lampard, was able to win the Champions League last season with incredible organization, proper midfield play and timely goals. He had no dependable number nine like he now possesses and should Rom play as freely and beautifully as he did under Antonio Conte in Serie A, Romelu Lukaku will be something that Timo Werner could not be last season.

This is not to say that having Rom might not ignite Timo as well, which would be remarkable and a glut of riches for the German boss. Chelsea will as laser focused this year as last I suspect, yet they just got a goal machine for a manager who is used to accentuating goal machines whether at Dortmund or in Paris. Should he accentuate his new signing as he has his teams throughout the years, then the Pensioners will be a frightening, and potentially unstoppable, outfit.

With 30 goals across all competitions last season and ten assists as well for Inter, it should shock no one at how expensive this transfer became for Chelsea. Inter needs financial help, and this move certainly should help matters, meanwhile, the Belgian international gets another crack at the Premier League, his best yet, with a club that is stacked, and manager who is a tactical and organizational wizard.

With the team that he will have around him, it should wonder no one why Romelu Lukaku decided that it was time to return to Chelsea now. He will have Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Hakim Zyech, N’Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic, Jorginho, Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta and still other great and talented players. It is the most loaded and possibly cohesive team he’ll have been on as a professional, no matter how much he respects the Special One; what this means for Chelsea’s League hopes is as great as its meaning for the relocating player himself however.

Chelsea: Better with Rom than without him

While Rom will benefit from the great team that is around him in his quest to win the Premier League and make right his previous time with Chelsea, the club itself now jumps into contention with any club out there to win the league this year.

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The team was able to hunker down and win the Champions League with some really remarkable defensive play, alongside timely and opportune scoring chances. Yet they now have gained a 30 goal scorer who can also pass the ball, and so now must be considered a front runner, even with the innovations at Manchester City; City need a real number nine, and that who they’re targeting.

It makes me think that City will do even more to secure the signature of Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane before the summer window closes, and with a signing like that, the league would be even more stacked and interesting to watch.

Will the league be a two team race this season? Will Liverpool and Manchester United be able to make rebuttal singings with anywhere near the authority that this and the Kane signing would have for two supremely talented clubs? Might another team, a shock club like an Arsenal, a Leicester City or an Everton make a run for a top four?

These are all questions that will begin to be answered in just a bit less than a weeks time. Something that is hardly a question at this point, is whether big Rom will make an impact on his new club this season; I think it’s obvious that the answer is likely yes. The only question is, how big is this impact?

It might be enough for a treble or quad even, or it could only mean a double or a single. Roman Abramovich is no patient man, but with the way Chelsea finished last season, a really productive season by Thomas Tuchel with this squad of players should produce results that both the coach and owner can be proud of.