According to the English publication Evening Standard, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has hinted that the Blues have almost sealed the record deal for Everton forward Romelu Lukaku. Standard Sport claims that this Belgian striker is considering on handing over a transfer request at Everton; to secure his future back at the Stamford Bridge. They also mentioned Chelsea are willing to bid their final offer of £60m, plus their current striker Loic Remy. The deadline has been set and the move is likely to be completed by the weekend. However, the inclusion of the Belgian won’t raise the question for Diego Costa’s future at Chelsea, as Atletico Madrid have stated that they weren’t interested in bringing their former striker back at the Calderon.
The Spaniard now has secured his future at the Stamford Bridge and Conte will want him to play alongside Lukaku in this upcoming season. But will this duo solve all the problems in the attacking region? Chelsea scored 59 goals overall in their 38 league matches and 15 goals in 8 Champions League fixtures, which means an average of one goal per game in the Premier League and almost 2 per game in the European campaign. If Chelsea ought to enjoy success in their next campaign, the men up front must convert almost all the chances into goals.
Comparison Stats:
If we look at the stats of Costa and Lukaku from the last few seasons, it’s quite clear that the Spaniard has been far more superior in the scoring chart, provided Costa had played more games in the given period while Lukaku had average seasons. However, the scenario changed after he joined Everton in 2014. He has been exquisite for them than his rival, the previous season. Although he played 9 more games than Costa, as a whole he was way ahead while creating chances, attempts, key passes and most importantly goal scored. This clearly indicates why Everton has put a £70m price tag on him. The detailed comparison stats are given below:
Romelu Lukaku
Total Appearances: 37
Goal Scored: 18
Assists: 6
Chances Created: 51
Goals inside the Box: 17
Goals outside the Box: 1
Total Shots: 118
Shot Accuracy: 56%
Key Passes: 45
Yellow Cards: 3
Diego Costa:
Total Appearances: 28
Goal Scored: 12
Assists: 6
Chances Created: 30
Goals inside the Box: 12
Goals outside the Box: 0
Total Shots: 68
Shot Accuracy: 53%
Key Passes: 24
Yellow Cards: 8
One should keep in mind that Lukaku (23) is four years younger than Costa (27) but has been able to perform at a higher level than many players of his age last year. Then again Costa has been involved with goals at the right time which helped his clubs, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea, win the league title; while Lukaku had failed in one of the biggest games of his career, a penalty miss against Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final. But given his age, he can rectify his errors and become a big match player in the very near future. Now, if Chelsea brings this Belgian back at the Bridge, he has enough time to become one their very best. And who knows, the Costa-Lukaku duo might just turn into a nightmare for all defenders!
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